


How to Cultivate Desire

by platinumtongue



Series: Unrestrained [2]
Category: Mo Dao Zu Shi, grand master of demonic cultivation - Fandom, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Aftercare, Alpha Wei WuXian, Alpha/Alpha, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Anal Fingering, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bathing/Washing, Biting, Bittersweet, Blow Jobs, Bodice-Ripper, Bodyswap, Cheating, Devoted Wei Wuxian, Dominant Uke, Dream Sex, Drug-Induced Sex, Dry Humping, Dry Orgasm, Evil Twins, F/M, First Time Blow Jobs, Foot Fetish, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Futanari, Gender Non-Conforming Character, Genderfluid Character, Genderqueer Character, Intersex Character, Jadecest, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Massage, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Multi, Mutually Unrequited, Netorare, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Omega Lan WangJi, Omega Verse, Pegging, Polyamorous Character, Prostate Massage, Puppy Love, Requited Unrequited Love, Reversible Couple, Role Reversal, Rutting, Submission, Submissive Niè Míngjué, Submissive Wèi Wúxiàn, Teacher Lan Wangji, Teacher-Student Relationship, Three Kingdoms Period, Unrequited Love, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Night, Yaoi, bottom Lan Xichen, concubine Wei Wuxian, dark lan xichen, dominant bottom Lan Wangji, futanari Jiang Yanli, gender non-conforming Lan Xichen, intersex Jiang Yanli, lancest, masculine uke, puppy-like seme, student wei wuxian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:54:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 131,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25057297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platinumtongue/pseuds/platinumtongue
Summary: A collection of smexy (/angsty) Untamed ficlets, including:-Lan Xichen's first time with Nie Mingjue-Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji-Alpha Lan Xichen x Alpha Jiang Cheng-Wangxian wedding, Alpha Wei Wuxian's heat, pregnant Lan Wangji-Alpha Lan Xichen x Beta Meng Yao-Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling-Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)-Warlord Lan Wangji x prize of war Wei Wuxian-Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen-Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated-Dark Lan Xichen comes from a mirror universe (Xichen x Jiang Cheng)-Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian-Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)-Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian-Student Jiang Cheng x hostess Lan Xichen-Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin ZixuanFrom the latest chapter:"Yanli herself was mostly tolerable, but those two brothers of hers had teased him to no end when they were young. And though he would not admit this out loud, he felt someone so plain and with so little cultivation was not quite worthy of him. But this was beyond the pale..."
Relationships: Jiang Cheng/Lan XiChen, Jiang Cheng/Wei Wuxian, Jiang Wanyin/Zewu-jun, Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zǐxuān, Lan Wangji/Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, Lan XiChen/Jin GuangYao, Lan XiChen/Lan WangJi, Lan XiChen/Meng Yao, Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng, Lan xichen/wei wuxian, Nie MingJue/Jin GuangYao, Nie MingJue/Lan XiChen, Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji, Wei Ying/Lan Zhan, Wen Ning/Jin Ling
Series: Unrestrained [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814245
Comments: 154
Kudos: 979
Collections: Smuthub





	1. Lan Xichen's Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lan Xichen has a dream of the past, when he was introduced to the world of cut-sleeve pleasures by Nie Mingjue. (Alternate history of Chapter 2 of the Secret World of Cultivation.)

Lan Xichen was content. Most days he simply appreciated the value of life, and the importance of cultivation while maintaining the principles of his sect. He was sometimes even happy. But even now, so many years after losing Da-ge, and nearly a year after losing A-Yao, there were times he felt that the forces inside him, of missing them, of irrational anger and self-disgust, would tear him apart.

In particular, he was sometimes troubled by dreams of the past. 

One night, in a hazy state between waking and sleeping, Lan Xichen simply remembered saying the word “red” earlier in the day and his mind drew him back to his most vivid memory of Nie Mingjue, the Worthy of the Red Blade. The memory of the first time Nie Mingjue’s hand had run across his chest in a way that was anything but comradely.

...

Lan Xichen shivered from head to toe as desire surged up inside him like a wave. The first time Nie Mingjue touched him this way, he was immediately frightened. He had learned all his life from his uncle that sexual desire led to nothing but misery and the corruption of the spirit. Though it would be a lie to say that he had never considered it, he had no idea it could be this powerful.

“M-…Mingjue-ge…” he whispered, halfheartedly attempting to raise his hands in protest, but not sure where to put them.

Nie Mingjue should still be recovering from the physical wounds he received from Wen Ruohan. Xichen was also certain there were even deeper emotional ones from Meng Yao, now Jin Guangyao. For these reasons as well as simply his usual unpredictable temper, Xichen hesitated to touch him, even to remove his hand from languidly stretching across his chest. Mingjue was clearly several more drinks in this evening than he usually was during dinner, and Xichen had no idea how to react to this behavior.

But Mingjue stopped at the slight fearful sound in Xichen’s voice. To Xichen’s surprise, he gently rested his cheek against Xichen’s shoulder as if for support. “I know it’s wrong,” said the normally terrifying demon of a man, the quality of his voice still harsh even when he spoke softly. “But what do I do, Xichen? I almost died never knowing what this felt like.”

“…’this’…?” Xichen repeated cautiously. 

“You,” Mingjue clarified. 

At this softly spoken word of the deep, rough bass in his ear, Xichen trembled. He suddenly felt overly hot. His hips began to ache slightly, especially in the front of his body. Of course, this only made him grow more fearful. 

“M-Mingjue-ge!” he cried, not sure what else to do.

A shadow over his face. Heat, so close to his own skin. A ragged, deep breath in his ears, then brushing against his lips. Finally, like thunder crashing above his head, Xichen’s lips were claimed by another’s for the first time in his life. 

“Mmm!” Xichen whimpered. 

He should be an adult by now, but his reaction was like that of a prepubescent teenager. He could feel his whole body shaking as he moaned helplessly against Nie Mingjue’s lips, the added stimulation of which only made the powerful pleasure inside him grow even harder to resist. His lips tingled as if they would go numb, yet each new movement against them sparked more pleasure inside his whole body. 

Mingjue’s hands had now grasped him around his waist, but were soon roaming up his back possessively. Flashes of pleasure pulsed up Xichen’s spine as his legs started to grow weak beneath him. He couldn’t control his breath. Moans slipped out of him almost every moment, until finally Mingjue released him with concern. 

“Xichen…steady your breathing,” he said softly.

Xichen was shivering and clinging to him to remain standing, his breath coming in only panicked moans now. He could feel his mind growing dull from hyperventilation. Mingjue drew him close, resting his chin on Xichen’s shoulder and his palm flat and comforting against his back. 

“Follow my breath.”

Air rumbled into Mingjue’s barrel-like chest, and Xichen felt it immediately against his own. He struggled, and managed to slowly copy the rhythm of the elder man’s breath. But he trembled as their bodies shared the same heat, Mingjue’s huge and steady heart thundering against his own. Worse, as soon as the panic faded, suddenly the pleasure magnified in a specific place of Xichen’s body that was now almost touching Mingjue’s.

“Nnnnhh!” he moaned desperately as his body awakened to sensations that he felt he never should have known. Did Mingjue think ill of him for being so lascivious?

“Shh,” Mingjue murmured in his ear. To Xichen’s torment, he placed a soft kiss against his cheek. “Don’t panic. I’m the same.”

He shifted his body and suddenly Xichen felt incredible heat and hardness against his own at the apex of their bodies. His fingers tightened over Mingjue’s powerful shoulders as he struggled to remain standing. 

Mingjue sighed as he held him tighter to reassure him, but he broke away briefly to caress Xichen’s face, pushing his luxurious black hair behind his ear. “I’m sorry, Xichen. I know you must be disappointed. I’m disgusted with myself too.”

Despite his fear, Xichen immediately felt that was wrong. It was his fault for being so lustful, not Mingjue’s. “I…” he whispered in uncertainty. Mingjue looked at him with a concerned frown. “I am afraid…but I…am not disgusted.”

Mingjue’s dark and forbidding countenance intensified, but there was tenderness in his eyes as he clasped Xichen’s cheek in his palm. “How afraid?”

Xichen once again felt himself losing control of his breath as desire pumped through his blood. “I…I don’t…”

“You don’t what?”

Trembling from head to toe, Xichen looked up at Mingjue and breathed harshly against his lips. “…want to stop…!” he confessed, though utterly mortified.

But before he could even contemplate his own shame, powerful hands grasped his face on either side and held him helplessly still as another brutal kiss robbed him of sentient thought. His moans changed pitch as he instinctively shifted his hips away to hide the desire growing even stronger inside him. But moments later, Mingjue pressed him back against a wall, even running one hand behind the small of Xichen’s back and leaving utterly no gap between their bodies.

Xichen melted with desire and pleasure within moments of this passionate embrace with his closest friend. Mingjue’s large, powerful hands caressed his body so skillfully, seeming to find every weak point without the slightest effort. 

“M-…Mingjue-ge!” Xichen gasped helplessly at a rare gap between their lips.

Mingjue paid him no heed as he began to kiss his way across Xichen’s cheek and then down to his neck. He grasped his body tighter than ever as he hungrily kissed, licked and even lightly bit into the skin of Xichen’s neck. 

“Nnngh!” Xichen cried desperately, his pleasure only mounting even higher. “No…no…” he whispered, not even conscious of what he was saying anymore.

“Why do you say ‘no’?” Mingjue growled against his neck, sending shivers down Xichen’s spine.

“Ngh!” Xichen whimpered. “Mingjue-ge…”

Mingjue sighed slightly. He brought a hand up to cradle Xichen’s head comfortingly. “Xichen. I know I’m asking too much. So you only need to say the word, and I’ll stop. I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

There was no possibility that the straightforward and uncontrolled Nie Mingjue had said this in a calculating way. Yet he could hardly have been more successful at blasting away Xichen’s inhibitions if he had. Xichen unconsciously shifted his hips against the older man, inadvertently causing them both to gasp. 

“Mingjue…-ge…” he murmured. His fingers tightened over his shoulders and he closed his eyes, resting his cheek against Mingjue’s collarbone. 

Mingjue let out a shuddering breath. “Xichen…you’re not trying to rile me up, are you? Can you feel how much I want you already?” he asked, grasping the small of Xichen’s back and thrusting their hips together. Xichen let out a desperate moan. “I don’t care that it’s a hallway and my myrmidons might walk by any moment. I’d do you right here.”

“Nngh!” Xichen yelped. “N-no…not here…”

Mingjue’s grasp on him tightened. “In my room then?”

In spite of himself, Xichen had reached the limit of his resistance. He cautiously let his fingers roam over Mingjue’s shoulders, every inch of him alive with pleasure. His mouth was hungry for more stimulation, and he couldn’t stop from pressing a kiss to the corner of Mingjue’s sharp and masculine jaw. He met the elder man’s eyes and nodded softly.

Mingjue similarly didn’t seem to be able to stop from kissing him deeply once again, even though they were both desperate to be alone. Finally, after drinking his fill of Xichen’s breath and moans against his lips, he relented and grasped Xichen’s waist to hurriedly guide him back to his room.

Once there, the door had barely shut behind them before Mingjue began pawing at Xichen’s body, carelessly creating small tears all over his beautiful white clothing. Xichen could barely stand, having to concentrate on avoiding hyperventilating from excitement and still a degree of fear. But each stroke of Mingjue’s hands or lips sent more waves of pleasure through him, to such an extent that it began to be painful not to be touched directly.

With them both in such a state, it was not an easy task getting undressed. Even when Xichen managed the presence of mind to try to disrobe Mingjue, the larger man’s lust overpowered him and would send his conscious thought flying away on kisses to his lips and neck. But after working themselves into almost a frenzy of desire, they finally managed to collapse onto Mingjue’s bed, now free of obstruction between their bodies.

Mingjue pressed Xichen back against the bed, indulging in yet more deep kisses against his neck while he began to explore every inch of his body with his hands. Xichen’s gasps rose endlessly as pleasure vaulted through him. But suddenly, he noticed Mingjue stop in his delightful attentions. 

While Xichen looked up at him with concern, he saw Mingjue insert two fingers deep into his own mouth. He kept them there until they were thoroughly wet. Just as Xichen was starting to wonder why he was doing this, Mingjue removed his fingers from his mouth and slid them between Xichen’s legs. 

“Ah!” Xichen gasped in shock at feeling the warm, moist touch against an area he thought no human being should ever touch. “M-Mingjue-ge!” 

“I’ll stop any time if you don’t like it,” Mingjue’s deep voice rumbled against Xichen’s neck. Xichen clung to his iron-like body and shivered helplessly, not knowing what to do. “And I won’t do anything more than this tonight. I only want to give you pleasure, Xichen.”

“Eh…?” Xichen mumbled, still at a loss about what was happening. After massaging his tight entrance until the muscles started to give way to him, Mingjue managed to slip one finger inside. “NGH!” Xichen yelped.

Mingjue immediately turned and comfortingly kissed his cheek several times without moving any further. Apart from anything else, Xichen’s body began to ache with pleasant feelings to discover how tender Mingjue could be at a time like this. 

“There’s a spot, inside you,” Mingjue murmured in his tantalizing bass. “Made only for pleasure.” He slid his finger carefully further in. “I want to show you. Can I?”

Xichen could no longer speak. Precisely because of how much desire was flooding through him, the mortification was overwhelming. He couldn’t agree. But neither could he bear it if Mingjue stopped now. Helplessly, he tightly wrapped his arms around his closest confidant and let out a soft moan which could be mistaken for a ‘mn’ of agreement.

Either way, Mingjue seemed to be struggling to control his own breathing at feeling Xichen enthusiastically cling to him. He resumed kissing his neck as he gently drove his finger deeper. The intrusion felt strange at first, and Xichen had difficulty believing that such a spot existed. Honestly, it felt good simply to receive such tender attention from Nie Mingjue, so no matter the case he couldn’t bear to stop. But then, with just the slightest pressure upward, Mingjue’s finger did something incredible to Xichen.

“Nhgah!” Xichen cried out, his back arching in shock. 

After the slightest touch, an explosion of pleasure had shot through him. It was still ringing throughout his whole body even now. His mouth fell open with shock and he froze, not knowing how to react and instantly growing fearful of feeling it again. But only moments later, his fears were realized.

“Aaahhh!” he cried as Mingjue’s finger pressed hard on that spot again. 

To Xichen’s shame, he could feel his cock was so hard it was painful, already beginning to drip a steady stream of precum onto his own stomach. Mingjue seemed to notice, but he did not comment on it. Instead he laid a steady stream of kisses down Xichen’s neck and chest, even sucking down on each of his nipples in turn. Xichen didn’t even know men could feel pleasure from that, but currently he felt delirious with it. 

“Does it feel good?” Mingjue’s low voice inquired against his chest. 

“Y-yes!” Xichen gasped, though flushed with shame.

“Good…then you cum whenever you like,” Mingjue told him, immediately resuming his torturous attacks with lips, teeth and fingers. 

Xichen brought his arms up to shield his face in desperation as intense pleasure flooded through him, growing every second. Mingjue’s finger was thrusting rhythmically up against that spot, and Xichen couldn’t help shifting his hips to match the sensation. Feeling nervous again and wanting more kisses, he grasped Mingjue’s shoulder and hair, pulling gently up.

Mingjue glanced up as he realized what he wanted, and willingly mounted his body fully over Xichen’s again. Without stopping the movements of his finger, he grasped Xichen’s cheek with his other hand and placed possessive kisses down his cheek and neck, and then finally gave him what he wanted. He gave Xichen another shock when, after passionately kissing him until he could barely think, he slipped his long tongue inside his mouth. 

Xichen yelped, but suddenly discovered that the inside of his mouth was incredibly sensitive and gave him almost as much pleasure as Mingjue’s finger inside him. He was so close to cumming already. 

At that moment, Mingjue grunted with desire and briefly broke away in order to grasp one of Xichen’s legs, and then the other, pressing them up so that he could rest his hips against Xichen’s while still keeping his finger inside him. With the new stimulation of feeling Mingjue’s incredibly hard and even heavy cock sliding against his own, Xichen could barely breathe. He didn’t even realize himself as his fingers left deep scratch marks across Mingjue’s back, an action which unknowingly drove up the other man’s pleasure even more.

“Xichen,” Mingjue grunted desperately. “Xichen…” He grasped him tightly and deeply kissed him before whispering, “Cum.”

With several sharp thrusts of Mingjue’s finger, Xichen’s pleasure peaked. He let out a long, shuddering moan which was quickly swallowed inside Mingjue’s mouth. His whole body twitched. Aching pleasure shot through his lower half, springing from the spot Mingjue’s finger was attacking and reaching release from his cock bouncing lightly against his stomach as it shot across his own chest. 

Mingjue passionately grasped his hair and seemed to savor the pleasure running across Xichen’s body. He nuzzled his cheek and eventually stroked his hair to help him come down from the overpowering sensations. Xichen whimpered and clung to him, unable to voice it but realizing quickly that he wasn’t satisfied by only cumming once. 

When it seemed as if Mingjue might already be satisfied just by this, even though Xichen could clearly see he was painfully hard and hadn’t cum, he swallowed and prepared to do something that would likely make him hate himself a little. He lightly pushed Mingjue’s shoulder, intending to get him to lie back on the bed so he could begin to return the favor. 

But he got a shock when Mingjue’s expression froze at the light touch of Xichen pushing him away. His eyes sank down, despair creeping across his normally unforgiving face. Slowly, the larger man shifted back away from him, turning and sitting at the edge of the bed. 

Mingjue didn’t speak for some time. Xichen felt a flash of fear that perhaps he had become disappointed in him, that it wasn’t as he expected. He noticed with a shock of guilt the marks that he had left in Mingjue’s powerful back. Just as he was summoning up his courage to ask what was wrong, Mingjue’s head lowered slightly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, in the softest voice Xichen had ever heard from him. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I should never have forced you to…” After a shaking outward breath, he clasped a hand over his eyes in shame. “Of course…of course you wouldn’t want this…I’m such a fool…”

Xichen gasped as he realized Mingjue had misunderstood. He gathered his courage for a different reason this time, realizing his shame would only hurt someone who merely shared his own feelings, and who thought of him so preciously. He shifted behind Mingjue and cautiously, with shaking hands, wrapped the larger man in his arms. 

Mingjue froze at his touch, uncertain. 

“That’s not it, Mingjue-ge,” Xichen murmured softly against his shoulder. “I am ashamed…confused, unsure…but I had no idea how much I craved your touch until I felt it. In gratitude for your courage…let me do something for you.”

While Mingjue was still in a state of shock, Xichen slipped down from the bed to kneel in front of him. In this posture, Mingjue’s continued enthusiasm was obvious, and Xichen was ashamed to admit just looking at it made his mouth water. Even though his eyes were tinged with tears of frustration, overwhelmed by all the things happening to him at this moment, he cautiously approached and kissed the tip of Mingjue’s cock.

“Ngh,” Mingjue grunted, immediately grasping Xichen’s shoulders and lightly pushing him back. “Don’t…I already have so little control…”

Xichen shuddered at the thought that Mingjue was still holding back. He felt a thrill as he wondered what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of the full force of Mingjue’s passion. With this thought, and in spite of his continued shame, he slowly wrapped his lips around the head of Mingjue’s cock, tasting it cautiously as he attempted to give him some of the pleasure he had received.

Mingjue’s breath came in hard pants, each one of which sent a cascade of pleasure down Xichen’s spine. As soon as he got used to the taste and unusual sensation, he was forced to remember how much pleasure he felt from the inside of his mouth. It caused him to moan softly as he grew more and more enthusiastic about swallowing Mingjue’s cock. Soon his saliva was dripping down the achingly hard and quickly reddening length. 

“Agh…Xichen!” Mingjue grunted in desperation.

Xichen gurgled softly as Mingjue’s hands wrapped tightly around his head, keeping it in place as he thrust his hips against him. If possible, the feeling of being so passionately wanted by Mingjue, in addition to the lessening of his shame by being the receiver rather than giver, only increased Xichen’s pleasure despite the fear and discomfort. 

Mingjue was enormous, easily filling him all the way to the back of his throat with each thrust. It was painfully difficult to breathe, and Xichen even feared he would throw up. Despite all of this, and despite his own dreadful embarrassment, Xichen was feeling so much pleasure just from his mouth that he felt he might cum again just from this.

Finally, Mingjue’s fingers tightened in his hair and he let out one last masculine grunt, before he dragged his cock from Xichen’s mouth, staining his pristine face with cum. 

Even as Xichen was shaking with pleasure, thinking it was over, Mingjue pulled him up and tossed him back on the bed, ravaging him with kisses as he stroked himself, still cumming onto Xichen’s stomach for another precious few seconds. Xichen shuddered as the sensation made him even more hungry, but he couldn’t bear to ask to continue. He merely indulged in Nie Mingjue’s gradually lingering kisses as his orgasm slowly subsided.

“Xichen,” Mingjue whispered against his lips. His breath was shaking as he continued with difficulty, “It’s so hard to stop…”

Xichen moaned softly just a these words. He wrapped his arms around Mingjue’s neck. “Mingjue-ge…” he managed against his lips, but was similarly reluctant to stop kissing even to speak. “M-…me too…”

At this, Mingjue did stop. “Really?”

Xichen shuddered in shame, unable to answer. 

Mingjue’s expression grew dark again. “…you’re just being polite, aren’t you?”

Xichen shook his head quickly. He bit his lip in anguish but eventually managed, “I’m ashamed. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”

Mingjue seemed doubtful, but he nodded slightly. “I should have put out the candles first,” he muttered irritably to himself. “You can blindfold me, if you like. Or if that won’t satisfy you, you can stab out both my eyes. If it were you, I’m sure I wouldn’t mind.”

Xichen shivered as it sounded like he wasn’t kidding. Knowing Mingjue, he probably wasn’t. He opened his mouth but wasn’t sure how to respond.

Mingjue closed his eyes with a sigh. “I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. Forget everything from tonight. I’ll take you back to your room, and it’ll be as if nothing happened.”

As Mingjue rose to gather their clothes, Xichen’s hand clasped around his arm to stop him. The larger man looked back in surprise but obediently sat back down beside him. Xichen swallowed hard as he prepared to say something shameful. 

He sat up behind Mingjue and pressed a hand affectionately to the back of his neck, then rested his forehead there beside it. At least in this position Mingjue couldn’t see him. With shaking breath, he whispered against his skin, “Don’t say it didn’t happen. And…don’t go.”

Mingjue’s heavy breath halted. He cautiously turned his head to see just Xichen’s legs below the knee from this angle. Even this made Xichen curl up under his gaze, and Mingjue finally understood. He let out a heavy sigh, then wordlessly reached back to grasp Xichen’s other hand, which had been curled up over his knee. 

“If you stay…I’ll want to do more things to you,” Mingjue told him. 

Xichen’s breath heightened. He closed his eyes as he turned his head to rest his cheek against Mingjue’s warm and broad back. He nodded.

That seemed to snap Mingjue’s last thread of resistance. After taking in a few heavy breaths, he whirled and wrapped his arms around Xichen, burying his face in his neck. Xichen moaned but willingly allowed Mingjue to push him back into bed.

Though they did little more that night than they had already done, Xichen could not help wondering what it would feel like to be taken by Mingjue completely. He also couldn’t bear to tell him at the time that, although Mingjue was his first kiss and truly the first person to approach him this way, there was someone else who had occupied Xichen’s thoughts for some time now. It was someone who would undoubtedly break Mingjue’s heart if he knew. But little did he know, the three would all soon find a very pleasant arrangement they could all appreciate.

…

Xichen woke with a start, panting with desire, sadness, frustration and despair. The stark light in his bedroom at night always seemed to painfully empty after one of these dreams. He quickly reached out, as had become a habit these days, for the warm body who now more often than not shared his bed. 

Jiang Cheng stirred to feel Xichen’s shaking grasp on his shoulder. Without even fully waking up, he turned over to face him and gathered Xichen’s larger body securely in his arms. “Nh…Xichen…I’m here,” he mumbled sleepily.

Warmth filled up Xichen’s heart at his words, his body heat, and the feeling of being wrapped in Jiang Cheng’s arms. Some nights were harder than others. But that night, he was able to return to a dreamless sleep, finally feeling he would not have to fear being alone again.


	2. Omega Lan Wangji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are students of Gusu University. Wei Wuxian is a popular alpha, Lan Wangji a studious but elegant omega. Despite apparent personality differences, they are drawn to each other inexplicably, and the mutual desire comes to a boil when they go out drinking together.
> 
> CW: sexism + brief homophobia.

Almost every university in the cultivation world had a ranking of its most desirable alphas. Unofficial, of course. But Gusu University, well-known for producing beautiful and talented graduates of all genders, was eagerly watched by both students of other schools and ambitious parents, and its alphas in particular became minor celebrities. 

Lan Wangji, who consistently ranked nationally in terms of test scores, was not interested in any of this nonsense. So when he was dragged into it, he was far from pleased.

Gusu University’s two most troublesome alphas were currently eating lunch outside together with a few other friends, when Wangji happened to walk by. One of them, a rich son of the Jiang family, ranked third or fourth, had apparently asked the other to buy him a drink. The other, in name at least his best friend, Wangji knew was ranked second only after Jin Zixuan. Tall, somewhat dangerously handsome, yet playful and approachable: Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian. There seemed to be a disagreement about his drink choice.

“Are you trying to say I’m a girl?” the Jiang alpha was saying, brandishing some very pink strawberry milk. Wangji thought his courtesy name might be ‘Wanyin.’

“No. Just that you have the mouth of one,” Wei Wuxian shot back with a shrug.

Jiang Wanyin shoved Wei Wuxian with enough force that there was an audible echo of his palm hitting the other man’s chest. Yet Wei Wuxian withstood it with hardly a blink. Instead he calmly returned the strike, causing Jiang Wanyin to stumble back a step. Soon they were already grappling with each other right in the middle of the courtyard.

“Hey, you two, knock it off!” said one of their friends.

“Why are they like this? Is there an omega nearby?” wondered another.

“Probably, since Jiang Cheng started it. Wei Wuxian’s always like that, though.”

Wei Wuxian even grinned as he traded blows with his supposed best friend. But when he pushed too hard and Jiang Cheng fell backward, falling into Wangji’s way and nearly knocking the books from his hands, Wei Wuxian suddenly put his body in between them and kicked Jiang Cheng back.

Jiang Wanyin groaned, holding his hip where Wei Wuxian’s foot had landed. “What’s wrong with you? Are you fighting seriously over a drink?”

Strangely, despite his reputation for being constantly and almost irritatingly friendly, Wei Wuxian just stared back at Jiang Cheng for some time, shielding Lan Wangji from his view. After a moment of staring a confused Jiang Cheng down, he whirled and presented a smile to Wangji, who was still standing where he was since Wei Wuxian was standing in the way he wanted to go. 

Wei Wuxian offered him a disarming grin. “Sorry, Little Miss. My little brother has no manners. Did he scare you?”

Lan Wangji closed his eyes in irritation, not feeling particularly inclined to answer. 

One of their friends gasped nearby. “Wei Wuxian! Who are you calling ‘Little Miss’?! Don’t you know who that is?!”

Wei Wuxian glanced at his friend and then back at Lan Wangji, blinking innocently. Clearly he did not. 

“Move.”

“Eh?” Wei Wuxian squeaked, suddenly caught off guard by Lan Wangji’s low voice. 

Wangji sighed. “You are in the way.”

Wei Wuxian echoed his displeasure with an even bigger sigh. “You’re a man? And here I thought I found a really pretty omega girl. What a waste of a good moment of chivalry.”

Wangji’s jaw tightened until his teeth hurt. He swept past the insufferable alpha without another word. This, among many other things, was why he hated alphas in general, and Wei Wuxian in particular. 

Unfortunately, he realized in the second day of class of the new quarter that – although the irritating alpha in question had skipped the lecture the first day – he and Wei Wuxian did have a class together. Wangji was incredibly conscious the whole hour of Wei Wuxian staring at him with a curious look on his face, equally annoyed by this rude behavior and the fact that class time was meant for paying attention to the teacher.

When class ended, Lan Wangji stood up immediately to leave for the library to study in peace. But he noticed an annoying shadow following him. After he had found a quiet space at a four-person desk in a rarely visited corner of the legal history book section, he was further frustrated – but not surprised – when a now familiar figure took a seat at the chair across from him.

Lan Wangji lowered the book he had been reading to glare at the alpha, who was already seated comfortably, leaning his chin on his hand in order to better appraise Wangji. 

Wei Wuxian sighed wistfully while watching him, and a pleasant smile met his lips. “You really are a beauty though. Are you sure you’re not a girl? At least a little bit?” 

Wangji shifted his jaw. Rather than encourage him by answering, he merely pointed a finger above his head at the nearest “Please Be Quiet” sign. Wei Wuxian’s charming, black eyes flicked up to it with a brief look of disappointment. But then they glinted with a hint of mischief. 

In a whisper, Wei Wuxian leaned in close and said, “So if I’m quiet, then it’s ok?”

Wangji closed his eyes with a sigh, and without bothering to engage with this nonsense any further, closed his book and stood up to move to another spot. 

Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue in irritation. “Aw, don’t be like that! I just want to talk to you!”

Unfortunately, true to Wangji’s prediction, he followed him this time too. 

“Please? I won’t disturb your studying, I promise. I just want to get to know you. Your name’s Lan Wangji, right?”

“Your voice is disturbing,” Wangji answered simply.

Wei Wuxian’s lips parted as if he were genuinely upset to be told this, but Wangji was sure such an irritating and highly ranked alpha couldn’t have such thin skin. Wei Wuxian glanced down with disappointment. He nodded. 

“Ok. I won’t talk until you’re done.”

Though Wangji did not believe that for a moment, he decided if the alpha spoke again he would simply go home to study. No matter how bold he was, even this Wei Wuxian wouldn’t dare disturb him at home, he thought. But to his surprise, Wei Wuxian also produced a book and started reading quite seriously, even jotting down notes now and then in a small notebook. His handwriting was terrible, yet there was something unrestrained and pleasant about it too.

Lan Wangji couldn’t help from glancing at the spine of the book when it became visible, and was surprised that it was in fact a proper cultivation text. One produced by his clan, in fact. He had heard Wei Wuxian was highly skilled and knowledgeable, and didn’t need to study to perform well in class. Apparently the rumors were not entirely true. 

After an hour in silence, Lan Wangji closed his book again. “I am finished,” he said. 

Wei Wuxian smiled. “Great! By the way, aren’t you interested in what I’m reading?”

Lan Wangji didn’t answer at first, but obediently glanced down at the spine of his book again to confirm. He nodded in subtle appreciation. “Master Qiren’s writings are widely acknowledged for their quality. It is a good choice for developing spiritual purity alongside one’s cultivation.”

“Hm?” Wei Wuxian tilted his head curiously. “Oh, the cover!” He laughed. “No, that’s just so I can read it in public. You see, one of my classes at the moment is Sanskrit. I’m reading the Kama Sutra in both Chinese and the original to compare. See?”

He flipped open the book and spun it around on the table so it was facing Lan Wangji. There happened to be a painting inside of the act being described in the text, fellatio between two men. 

Wangji gasped and shot to his feet, heedlessly knocking back the chair he had been sitting in with a clatter. Wei Wuxian laughed at him. “Oh now, Young Master Lan. That’s not very gentlemanly! You shouldn’t make so much noise in a library, you know.”

“You…shameless…!” Wangji hissed, his words stuck in his throat in anger.

“Yes, that’s me,” Wei Wuxian replied, wiping away a tear of laughter. But then he grinned appreciatively at Wangji. “And I take back my disappointment earlier. Whether a man or a woman, you’re really cute. Especially when you’re embarrassed. Wangji-gege.”

Lan Wangji could stand no more of this and promptly left for home. Even though there was still work he wanted to get done today, his thoughts kept being interrupted by an incredibly irritating smiling face telling him he was cute. He thankfully realized in time before he submitted it, but the homework he managed to complete that night was full of careless mistakes.

Lan Wangji hoped to avoid Wei Wuxian after that, but unfortunately the seminar professor of the class they shared invited them all out for a get-to-know-you drink at the end of the first week. Wangji didn’t drink, and he wanted to refuse for that reason alone, but his elder brother told him this professor was always more helpful to students who socialized with him outside class. He begrudgingly dressed in a slightly more masculine style than usual, slicking his hair back to an intimidating ponytail at the base of his neck, hoping to discourage Wei Wuxian from staring at him any further.

But he realized only moments after taking a seat in the bar near the professor – and as far as he could from Wei Wuxian – that the alpha’s gaze was still locked on him as if afraid of missing something. The drinks came, and Wangji hoped to get through the night in relative peace after merely showing his face for half an hour or so.

He quietly drank from the glass of oolong tea he had ordered for a few moments before he began to notice something was wrong. He was suddenly very sleepy. In fact, he found his eyes slowly closing and his head tilting just a few degrees forward. Since he was normally so quiet anyway, no one in their party noticed his briefly falling asleep. 

He opened his eyes with a sharp inward breath a few minutes later. He stumbled and realized he had his arm around someone’s shoulders and was walking down a hallway. 

“Whoa! Steady there. Are you awake, Wangji-xiong?” came an annoyingly familiar voice.

“Nh,” Wangji grunted, briefly attempting to push Wei Wuxian away but realizing he didn’t have the coordination right now. He huffed out a childlike sigh and dropped his hand limply.

Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue in frustration. “I knew that old man had them sneak some soju in your tea. You probably won’t remember this, but you have to be more careful next time! Ok, Wangji-xiong?”

Wangji huffed again. He looked around and vaguely realized Wei Wuxian was leading him out of the restaurant. If so then he could get home on his own, he just needed to get his legs under him again. Somehow. 

“G’way,” Wangji grumbled.

“Go away? Well…it’s hard to say no to such a cute request, but I’m a little worried about you right now,” Wei Wuxian admitted with surprising sincerity. “Let’s see…I could call your big brother, couldn’t I? Where’s your phone, Lan’er-gege?”

Wangji’s head dipped down again as he felt himself growing sleepy once more. He was aware of Wei Wuxian’s voice calling him several times in growing frustration. He found himself thinking there was something pleasing about this alpha’s voice, close to his ear. Then suddenly it grew louder.

“Lan Zhan!” 

Wangji blinked his eyes open, feeling sudden deep embarrassment at being called his childhood name. He glared up at Wei Wuxian, even though he couldn’t focus on his face for very long in this state. 

“Well…I’m sorry, but you weren’t answering no matter what I call you!” Wei Wuxian protested. Though afterward he bit his lip and looked rather woefully at Wangji’s disheveled appearance. He even lightly caressed his chin, suddenly sending unexpected heat through Wangji’s defenseless body. “We’re friends now so you can call me ‘Wei Ying’ too,” he said softly. “Listen, I want to have your brother come pick you up. Can you let me use your phone?”

“Hmph,” Wangji huffed disdainfully, yanking his chin away from Wei Wuxian’s hand. “Don’t have.”

Wei Wuxian covered his face with a loud sigh. “You don’t have a cell phone? So it’s not just that you act like you’re from the 1940’s, your technology is too? Ugh, all right. I’ll take you home, then. Come on.”

Wei Wuxian managed to get an uncooperative Lan Wangji into a cab and was about to tell the driver where to go, when Lan Wangji grasped the front of Wei Wuxian’s clothes. Wei Wuxian looked down at him, startled. 

“You?” Wangji asked him abruptly.

Wei Wuxian let out a small laugh, but his eyes were filled with fascination as he gazed down at the impaired Wangji. “Me? I’ll just walk. My place isn’t far.”

Wangji shifted his jaw in frustration and then sighed irritably. 

“You don’t want to go home yet?”

Wangji didn’t answer.

“Or…you want to stay with me a little longer?”

Though Wangji still refused to answer, his brows knitted and a trace of pink from the alcohol on his cheeks grew a little warmer. Wei Wuxian let out a soft breath of surprise, blinking as he struggled to respond to this abrupt change in Wangji’s state. He noticeably swallowed.

“Driver? I’m sorry. He’ll come with me after all.”

Wei Wuxian had barely said this before Wangji stood up from the cab and walked ahead of Wei Wuxian. 

“You adorable little weirdo, where are you going? My place isn’t even that way!”

Wangji stopped and allowed Wei Wuxian to guide him in the opposite direction. It really didn’t take long to walk to Wei Wuxian’s apartment, and once there Wangji plopped himself down on the available couch without a word. However, he did judgingly brush a small pile of trash and unorganized books he noticed on the table. 

“Ah…ha ha. I don’t have guests that much, to be honest,” Wei Wuxian admitted, picking up the random assortment of things and dumping most of them unceremoniously into a closet. He joined Wangji on the couch and looked at him admiringly for a time. “So. I’d love to know what sparked this change of heart. What did I do to earn the valuable time of Mr. National Ranking?”

Wangji frowned a little, mildly surprised that Wei Wuxian even knew that, after claiming not to know who he was just a few days ago. He huffed and didn’t answer.

“Hm…could it be you’re grateful I got you out of there before anyone noticed? Don’t worry, they were all having too good a time to miss your gloomy face. Or my arrogant one. Ha ha.”

Wangji felt a little sad that Wei Wuxian referred to himself that way, but unfortunately at the moment he had other concerns. This was his first time visiting the personal space of an adult alpha. Everything in this room smelled strongly musky and pleasant, particularly the couch they were sitting on. It made Wangji feel a little dizzy and warm, but not bad. And with Wei Wuxian’s arm stretched back behind Wangji’s head, he was forced to realize the source of the pleasant smell was the man next to him. His eyes flicked cautiously his way.

Wei Wuxian stopped joking around as he noticed Wangji’s gaze flick vaguely in his direction. He swallowed again. But after a moment, he forced a laugh, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “This is embarrassing. I, uh…to be honest, I know I’m an alpha, but I’ve never really had that strong of a drive. Omega girls have gotten close before, but I never really felt anything different from normal. But, Lan Zhan…that scent you have…you’re not doing that on purpose, right?”

Wangji had no idea what he was talking about. He too had always assumed his sex had been wrongly assigned, that he was in fact a beta. He had never drawn the attention of any alphas before, and in fact had been told he had almost no scent. 

He huffed. “No scent,” he grumbled.

Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure? These are all your clothes, right?” he asked, casually flipping up the lapel of Wangji’s jacket and sniffing curiously. 

When he got close, Wangji shuddered as his masculine scent filled his lungs and he felt his mouth start to water as heat built in the core of his body. Wei Wuxian meanwhile caught sight of the collar that was normally hidden by Wangji’s turtle neck. His eyes were trapped by the sight, which firmly identified Lan Wangji as an omega, whose neck must be protected from errant alpha’s bites. 

Wei Wuxian’s mouth hung open like a hungry dog for a moment before he swallowed and drew back self-consciously. “This isn’t good, is it?” he murmured. “To be even more honest, Lan Zhan, I know I don’t act drunk but I might have had a few too many, too…is it hot in here? I’ll open a window…”

Not thinking clearly and assuming that Wei Wuxian getting up meant he was leaving, Wangji grasped his shirt again. Wei Wuxian was similarly not at his best, and the slight tug unbalanced him. He fell onto the couch, hands caging Lan Wangji’s head with their faces just inches apart. 

Wei Wuxian seemed to be shaking slightly, even though gradually his eyes grew dark as his pupils dilated with desire. He swallowed hungrily with his gaze crossing languidly from Wangji’s eyes, to his lips, and down to the tempting hint of an omega collar under his shirt. He blinked quickly, seeming to try to restore his sense of reason.

“Lan Zhan…seriously, this scent…are you for real?”

Wangji abruptly took offense, as if his gender were being questioned. He made a noise of irritation and did not hesitate to pull off his jacket and toss it aside. 

“…eh…?” Wei Wuxian squeaked in mild panic, apparently too afraid even to move back from his precarious posture, kneeling on the couch over Wangji.

Wangji crossed his arms and grasped the bottom of his shirt, flipping it over his head and tossing it away. He pulled his hair over his shoulder, exposing his collared neck and inadvertently increasing the scent that was currently driving Wei Wuxian past reason. 

“That’s it. No scent,” Wangji muttered stubbornly. 

But he realized his actions had tipped Wei Wuxian past the point of resistance as he felt the alpha’s hungry breath on his neck. Wei Wuxian’s breath was shaking. Into Wangji’s ear, he whispered, “It’s so nice…I can’t think…can I…?”

He didn’t even finish his question before Wangji felt Wei Wuxian’s face nuzzle against his neck. He let out a shuddering sigh as pleasure seemed to light up his whole body just from this small gesture. He instinctively reached up to grasp Wei Wuxian’s arms, intending to push him back. But the sensation against his neck caused his fingers to merely squeeze down on the alpha’s muscular arms. His eyes fluttered as he found himself imagining being held by them.

“Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian whispered breathlessly, likewise grasping onto Wangji’s shoulders. “I’m in trouble…” He actually opened his mouth wide and ran his teeth across the impenetrable plastic of the collar. Wangji’s hips twitched involuntarily, and suddenly he felt his lower body start to ache. “I want…I want to…bite…”

“Ngh,” Wangji grunted with a shudder, both in trepidation and in anticipation. His fingers squeezed down on Wei Wuxian’s arms again, not knowing how to respond.

Slowly, Wei Wuxian managed to draw himself away from Wangji’s neck, and instead gazed intently at his eyes from so close Wangji could feel his breath on his lips. Wei Wuxian’s expression gained traces of anguish the longer he stared at him. “I can’t stop staring at you…you draw me in like…like…”

“You’re mine,” Wangji supplied softly. 

Wei Wuxian took in a sharp breath. He blinked rapidly as if unable to grasp what Wangji meant, but the excitement in his eyes was visibly building. “You’re…mine?” he repeated helplessly.

Wangji closed his eyes as warmth seemed to drip down his body just hearing these words from Wei Wuxian. In his hazy state of mind, he didn’t stop to think about the fact that they had only met properly a week ago, and he had been telling himself he hated this disruptive and annoying alpha. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Wei Wuxian’s neck and pulled him closer. 

“Mine,” he said firmly in his ear. To reinforce the message, he opened his mouth and bit down hard on the skin of Wei Wuxian’s neck.

“AH!” Wei Wuxian cried, his whole body trembling. “Ah…ah…it hurts, Lan Zhan…what are you thinking, biting an alpha? Ah, you’re so…ngh!”

With that, neither could hold back anymore, and Wei Wuxian grasped Wangji’s face in both hands as he claimed his mouth with breathless kisses. Wangji struggled even to remain conscious as he was overwhelmed by the alpha scent and the feeling of his mouth being ravaged by Wei Wuxian’s lips and tongue. Wei Wuxian kissed so hard that now and then their teeth stung against one another’s lips, but neither cared. Wei Wuxian sank deeply against him, wrapping his arms around Wangji. 

He gradually pushed him back into the couch, letting his hands roam from Wangji’s face to his neck and slowly down his chest. Wangji couldn’t hold back gasps and even soft moans as his alpha’s fingers seemed to be claiming him with every new place they touched. He closed his eyes blissfully, arching his back and shifting his hips impatiently.

Wei Wuxian panted over him. “Lan Zhan…you’ve got to stop enticing me like that…”

Lan Wangji opened his eyes to frown up at the alpha irritably. “Hn,” he huffed. To Wei Wuxian’s shock, and Lan Wangji’s eternal shame when he remembered this later, he didn’t hesitate to grasp the most dangerous part of an alpha’s body after their teeth. 

Wei Wuxian threw his head back with a gasp. When he had his breath back, he collapsed on top of Wangji and held him tightly as if in fear. “Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan…” he whispered. 

After stealing a few more hungry kisses, Wei Wuxian carelessly tore some of his clothes in the process of trying to get them off quickly. Lan Wangji was much slower and only managed to unzip his own pants before Wei Wuxian finished his own and returned to pull off Wangji’s remaining garments. Wei Wuxan gazed in wonder at the state of Wangji’s pristine body, in particular the clear signs of enthusiasm between his legs. 

Wei Wuxian swallowed. “Shit…I knew omegas got wet, but…you really feel good too, Lan Zhan?”

Wangji huffed irritably. “Do not speak of it.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled. “Yes, boss.”

He quickly grabbed his discarded pants and searched the pockets for something small and crinkly. He tore it with his teeth and wrapped the small piece of rubber down his painfully hard cock. He sank down over Wangji and cautiously pressed his tip against Wangji’s soft and dripping entrance. Even as he sought more teasing kisses, Wangji’s hole felt on fire with need as Wei Wuxian hesitated before entering. 

Finally, with a grunt, Wei Wuxian pushed inside him in one, smooth motion. 

“NGH!” Wangji cried, throwing his head back and locking his body in shock. 

Wei Wuxian’s breath had stopped as he trembled with the overpowering sensation. He finally gasped and worriedly clasped Wangji’s face in his hand. “Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan…does it hurt?”

Wangji was currently in a state of agony, but not from pain. The pleasure was so powerful that he was already on the edge of cumming, but even closer on the edge of losing his senses completely. His body was sure even if his mind wasn’t yet; this was his alpha. He had never felt more right or whole than this moment, with Wei Wuxian’s cock filling his body with heat. 

He eventually managed to numbly shake his head. 

With this, Wei Wuxian could endure no longer and began pumping inside him. Wangji gasped and let out undignified noises, one after another, as he felt himself being carved out and claimed. Wei Wuxian’s body heat, the smell of his skin were so sweet that even the tinge of pain from being opened up so abruptly was overpowered by a frightening degree of pleasure. 

“Wei Ying…Wei Ying…” Lan Wangji mumbled, half delirious. And moments later, he let out a strangled cry as his cock burst against his own chest.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian gasped, clinging to him. “Oh fuck…I can’t stop…oh god…ngh!”

Wangji felt the base of Wei Wuxian’s cock inexplicably start to widen as he thrust inside him, but fortunately Wei Wuxian withdrew just an inch so that he only spurted a normal load of cum inside the condom. Even this flooded Wangji’s body with heat, and he longed to feel Wei Wuxian’s cum and his twitching cock directly. 

Wei Wuxian was shaking from head to toe as he collapsed against Lan Wangji’s chest. “Oh fuck…it still feels so good…I haven’t gone down at all…Lan Zhan, what should we do?”

As soon as he had some mental clarity, Wangji grunted in irritation. He shoved Wei Wuxian back onto the other half of the couch, and straddled his waist without removing Wei Wuxian’s cock for an instant. Though Wei Wuxian looked panicked, and Lan Wangji had of course never done this before, he began to instinctively roll his hips against his alpha, driving his cock inside him to where it felt best.

“L-…Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian gasped. “Wait…it’s just…I don’t have another condom…if I cum again, it might break…”

“Fine.”

“Ngh…it’s not fine! You…I know you’re tough…you’re so cool…I really admire you so much, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian mumbled, seeming to lose his train of thought as he closed his eyes and grasped Wangji’s hips as they rolled against him. “Ah, no, I mean…I know you think you won’t, but you might get pregnant!” 

“Pill.”

“Yeah okay, but it’s still not good! Omegas are…ngh! Precious…can’t just…cum inside them!” Wei Wuxian grew less and less able to articulate as the heat once again began to envelop them both. “Oh god…” he gasped.

Wangji was sinking into the blissful sensation of guiding Wei Wuxian’s cock exactly where he wanted it. Wei Wuxian’s hands further drove up his pleasure as they encouraged him, passionately tightening into his skin. 

“Ngh…ah…” Lan Wangji moaned, gradually letting go from holding back his voice. “Ah…ah…ahh…”

“Lan Zhan…your voice is so low and sexy…I really love it…I love everything…” Wei Wuxian mumbled.

Wangji found himself wanting more already and thrust against Wei Wuxian’s hips faster and faster. Wei Wuxian seemed to reach his limit and sat up to grasp Wangji around his back tightly, burying his face in his neck. 

“Ahhh…” Wangji moaned at feeling Wei Wuxian’s hot breath against his neck. 

They were both reduced to wordless moaning as their passion built, somehow to an even higher peak this time. Wangji threw his head back as another huge wave of pleasure breaking inside him. Wei Wuxian gasped at his hole tightening painfully around him, and instinctively thrust even harder. Then they both cried out loudly as the bulge at the base of Wei Wuxian’s cock pushed all the way inside Wangji and instantly spread out even wider, preventing him from pulling out.

“Oh fuck!” Wei Wuxian cried, clasping Wangji so tightly he almost forced the air from his lungs. “Oh fuck…I…I knotted you…I’m sorry, Lan Zhan…I can’t…NGH! I can’t…take it out until…until I empty everything inside you!”

Wangji shuddered blissfully at everything that was happening to him at this moment. For some reason, he felt barely any pain even as he realized Wei Wuxian’s cock was looming so large inside him, completely unable to remove it. Wei Wuxian’s words, his soft, shivering voice, filled with pleasure, his scent, his heat, and his twitching cock inside him made Wangji so happy and filled with pleasure that he almost passed out. Instead, his body seemed to want to reassure Wei Wuxian. 

“Ngah!” Wangji cried suddenly as his cock twitched between their bodies. 

Wei Wuxian was still a trembling mess, but he could feel Wangji’s reaction. He shuddered and asked him cautiously, “Lan Zhan…are you dry cumming?”

Having no idea what that was, and not really caring about anything at this moment, Wangji merely let his head drop against Wei Wuxian’s shoulder and trembled as pleasure continued vaulting through him ceaselessly as Wei Wuxian continued to pump him full of blissful warmth. 

“Oh lord…you’re so good, Lan Zhan…you’re perfect…I love everything about you…” Wei Wuxian whispered in a strained voice, clearly still struggling through his own orgasm. “I like you…love you…can’t live without you…I want to stay like this forever…”

Wangji shivered, unable to stop the powerful sensations in his body even as these words melted his heart. His fingers tightened over Wei Wuxian’s back. “…want…” he murmured simply.

“Eh? What is it?” Wei Wuxian murmured softly, seeming desperate to give Wangji anything he wanted.

“Bite.”

Wei Wuxian gasped. He clung to Wangji so tightly Wangji could feel his throat bob as he swallowed hungrily. “I want to, but…can’t…neither of us is sober, and your collar is locked…”

“Bite,” Wangji grunted forcefully, intentionally tightening around Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian let out a manly groan, his fingernails biting into Lan Wangji’s back. But just as Wangji was beginning to tremble with pleasure at feeling Wei Wuxian’s scratches there, he heard the tantalizing sound of a wet mouth opening beside his ear. Heated breath of a hungry animal about to strike. The feeling of lips brushing feather-soft against his hairline, just behind his ear. 

Wei Wuxian growled. Finally, he sank his teeth into the area just above Wangji’s nape. 

“Nnnngh!” Wangji moaned helplessly, lights flashing before his eyes. 

Though a bite in this area was not enough to bond them as lifelong mates, the physical sensation of biting for alphas, and of being bitten for omegas, not to mention the shared scent, was plenty enough to give them the physical sensations of pleasure that accompanied bonding. Neither could move an inch beyond twitching against one another for minutes on end as the feelings flooded through them.

Wangji kept making undignified noises, almost with every outward breath. He could still feel cum being pumped inside him from Wei Wuxian’s cock. Every few moments, he felt himself cumming again, the unique experience of omegas who were properly knotted by their alpha. It took nearly an hour of barely moving for the feeling to start to fade. 

By the time Wei Wuxian had emptied his entire load inside Lan Wangji, the two had collapsed into a shivering mess in each other’s arms on the couch. Wangji still twitched intermittently, feeling as if something must have gone wrong with his brain to be able to feel this much pleasure for so long. Wei Wuxian covetously held him and stroked his forehead and hair soothingly.

“You’re so precious…please remember this tomorrow, okay, Lan Zhan? If you’re cold to me again I may die…I already like you so much…”

Lan Wangji sighed. Though it was not in his nature, he felt Wei Wuxian needed it, so he placed a comforting hand on top of his head. “Do not worry.”

Wei Wuxian’s soft chuckle actually sounded a little tearful. “It’s so bad. I really like you, Lan Zhan.”

“That is not bad,” Wangji said softly. He thought he heard Wei Wuxian sniff and hold him tighter as he nodded against his shoulder.

…

Unfortunately, by the next morning, Lan Wangji’s memory of the previous night was indeed far from good. He woke with a pounding headache, far too late into the day for a reasonable person. As he gingerly rose to a seated position on the couch and squinted blearily around unfamiliar sights, he noticed a soft dripping noise from behind him and the smell of coffee.

As he looked over to the small kitchen island which seemed to be in the same room as the living room he had slept in, he noticed a gleeful, humming, familiar back and bouncing ponytail. Wei Wuxian turned from what he was doing and noticed Wangji was awake.

“Morning,” he said with a big grin of happiness.

Wangji’s face meanwhile was trapped in a state of shock. Had he spent the night in the apartment of Wei Wuxian?

Wei Wuxian paused to gauge his expression and eventually his happiness turned to bitter torment. He sighed as if he were a tire the air had been let out of. “Nnnn, Lan Zhan, you’re so cruel. I told you, didn’t I? And you said you would remember? Aw, I should have known not to trust a drunk.”

Wangji’s hand whipped up to feel that his collar was still in place, and he let out a breath of relief to discover that it was. However, his hips were aching and his legs felt abnormally weak as he tried to stand. 

“Goodbye,” he said simply, heading for the door.

“Ah!” Wei Wuxian cried in panic, but it was too late. Even after Wangji shut the door behind him, he heard Wei Wuxian’s baleful voice in a whine. “Ahhh, Lan Zhan!”

Wangji shook himself and decided to have a proper think once he was at home. He did not realize as he cautiously touched his somewhat raw lips, and then the painful yet pleasant ache remaining behind his left ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	3. Alpha Wei Wuxian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wei Wuxian struggles with feeling rejected by Lan Wangji (in Ch. 2), but realizes he might not be the only one troubled by these feelings.

Since being brought up out of poverty by the Jiang family, and gaining minor notoriety as a handsome and talented alpha at a prestigious university, Wei Wuxian had not had to experience rejection. He had even had several attempts at relationships, but to even his own surprise they had all ended without him feeling attraction to the other person. 

Lan Wangji was different. Even before Wei Wuxian had ever spoken to him, just being in his vicinity made him suddenly overly aware of the fact that Jiang Cheng was also an alpha, a fact which in the past had only made him just a little more likely to pick a fight with him. Though he hesitated to tell him this, Wei Wuxian thought Jiang Cheng had gotten off lightly with just a kick to the hip, when he had almost touched Wei Wuxian’s omega.

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose to banish a wave of pain that was most likely not physical. No, he reminded himself. Lan Zhan was not “his” omega. It didn’t matter how delicious it had felt to sink his teeth into his pristine flesh while knotting him, or how hard it was to get that thought out of his mind. 

“Goodbye,” Lan Wangji had said simply, with only mild anger showing on his icy, unapproachable face.

The message was clear. Even though Wei Wuxian’s personal belief was in vino veritas, clearly the prim and proper Lan young master had not been in his right mind that night. His real self was the one that openly despised Wei Wuxian. Each time Wei Wuxian remembered how pathetically he had clung to him and pleaded with him to remember, he felt colder and more hollow inside as he realized that feeling was only on one side. 

Wei Wuxian clearly felt that Lan Wangji was his fated pair, and yet the feeling seemed one-sided. How? This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. If anything, omegas should be far more easily swayed by even the smallest attention from an alpha. Yet Wei Wuxian’s desperate confession meant nothing?

Wei Wuxian felt trapped in a gloomy haze for almost a week following the incident. He hadn’t even realized he wanted a fated pair. And the issue injured him more deeply than it should. 

A small part of him that he often tried to deny or push away took on at least part of the blame for his parent’s deaths. The irrational part that he pretended not to listen to informed him during every dark moment that he wasn’t fit to feel love, much less worthy of being loved by others. Admiration was different. He had no end to confidence in his abilities, and felt he deserved, if anything, more praise than he already got. But for anyone to devote their heart to him, it only made him feel guilt, as if he were doing something wrong. 

To entrust oneself to fate, to feel utterly whole and content, and then to be left behind was a feeling so lonely and empty Wei Wuxian could not have imagined. Food lost its taste. Colors of the world seemed to drain away. He felt a loss of purpose, as if he were suddenly set adrift, alone in a vast ocean. He tried not to let anyone notice.

After skipping a few days of classes, citing a hangover and mild fever which no one really believed, Wei Wuxian once again joined Jiang Cheng for lunch as normal, swinging an arm around his neck. 

Jiang Cheng growled a little but quickly steadied himself. “Where’ve you been?” he demanded.

Wei Wuxian shrugged, picking his ear. “Do I have to make reports to you now? I was sleeping off a night of passion, if you must know.”

Jiang Cheng almost audibly rolled his eyes. 

They had only just sat down at a bench outside to eat when Wei Wuxian’s senses all seemed to light up and his gaze was drawn to the other end of the courtyard. Sure enough, a vision in white soon walked past, exuding dignity and grace that was eye-catching even at a distance, his presence trailed by lustrous black locks and an intermittent flick of the Lan forehead ribbon. Wei Wuxian’s breath caught. 

“Hmph,” Jiang Cheng grunted, looking in a slightly different direction. “What’s that peacock up to?”

Wei Wuxian blinked from his reverie and reluctantly followed Jiang Cheng’s gaze. The highest ranked alpha in this school, son of one of the richest families in the world, seemed to have emerged from a classroom with his gaze drawn to the passing Lan Wangji. After a moment of hesitation, biting his lip, the young Jin Zixuan hurried after Lan Wangji and even followed him into an empty classroom. 

Wei Wuxian shot to his feet. He dumped his remaining lunch in Jiang Cheng’s lap, earning a few well-deserved expletives from his adopted brother, and took off at a run after them. 

When he reached the empty classroom, Jin Zixuan was merely talking quietly to Lan Wangji from some distance. Both were turned away from him and neither had noticed Wei Wuxian standing in the doorway.

“…and so…I understand if you need time to consider, but I feel an alliance between our two families would bring hitherto unknown success and power to both,” Jin Zixuan said, looking hopefully at Lan Wangji. “I hope you will consider it…consider me.”

Though Wei Wuxian couldn’t see his face at this angle, he thought he heard a soft outward breath of frustration. “That is not necessary.”

“…you mean you’ll agree?”

Lan Wangji sighed noticeably this time. “I agree that politically and financially speaking, our families could benefit from such a match.”

“Yes…?”

Lan Wangji rounded an almost expressionless glare on the Jin alpha, but said calmly, “But my family does not value this kind of benefit.”

Jin Zixuan seemed startled by this reasoning, and even the slightest hint of refusal. He backtracked and began again, “Ah…yes, of course. The Lan are well known for morality and integrity. It is admirable. Truthfully, I wish to emulate it. But…surely there are other reasons for marriage than simple advantages.”

Wei Wuxian’s hand on the door frame tightened until he could not feel blood flowing to his white-tipped fingers anymore. He briefly worried his teeth would crack from how hard he was clenching his jaw. 

Lan Wangji remained looking at Jin Zixuan expressionlessly for a moment before he simply sat down and began to prepare for class as if he were not there. 

“Y-…Young Master Lan?” Jin Zixuan attempted awkwardly. “Am I…to take this is a refusal?”

“It is,” Lan Zhan said without a pause.

The tension in Wei Wuxian’s hand eased as he took a deep breath in and out with relief. 

But Jin Zixuan’s body seemed to have the opposite reaction, his fists tightening at his sides. “May I ask the reason?”

“It is personal and would be of no benefit to you to hear,” Lan Wangji said simply.

“If I am to be humiliated, I believe I deserve to know why,” Jin Zixuan managed through a clenched jaw.

Lan Zhan graced Jin Zixuan with his coldest expression yet, this one even reverberating down into Wei Wuxian’s bones and filling him equally with fear and affection. 

“In the first place, I detest the division of an entire society by alpha and omega, two arbitrary classifications of birth, and in particular the social privilege afforded to alphas,” Lan Zhan said in unusual eloquence. “In the second place, I feel no love or sexual attraction toward men. Even if I were interested in romance or marriage, which I am not, a male alpha would be out of the question.”

Wei Wuxian was starting to regret running over here. He nearly lost the strength in his legs to hear how much Lan Wangji despised his whole gender, not to mention him as a person. Wei Wuxian finally realized that though the alcohol on that night had likely lowered Lan Wangji’s defenses and caused him to succumb to physical desires of his omega body, in his heart all alphas were a bother at best and a danger at worst. He must have felt sick to his stomach when he realized what had happened. Wei Wuxian’s fingers started to feel cold and numb again, but this time from despair.

“Finally,” Lan Zhan added as if rubbing salt into the wound, though in his mind he was merely straightforwardly answering the question. “I do not know you well, Young Master Jin. But I disapprove of alphas who view rejection as humiliation. My feelings are mine, and have nothing to do with your ego.”

Even in his despair, Wei Wuxian was able to let out a soft chuckle of appreciation. I really love you, Lan Zhan, he thought. 

The soft noise he made finally alerted the other two to his presence. He chuckled under their intense stares and raised a hand in a halfhearted apology. “Sorry…didn’t mean to overhear.”

His heart skipped as Lan Wangji’s lips parted slightly while watching him. Momentarily, however, Lan Zhan cast his gaze to the ground, then back to his class preparation as if neither Wei Wuxian nor Jin Zixuan were still present. Wei Wuxian let out a lonely and self-deprecating chuckle. 

“Get out!” Jin Zixuan barked. 

“Hm? Sounds like your conversation was done,” Wei Wuxian countered casually. “If you’re lonely for a pretty face, Jin Zixuan, why don’t you come talk to me instead?”

Jin Zixuan rounded an indignant glare at him. But true to his good breeding, he soon got his anger under control and at least presented the appearance of dignity. He straightened his tie calmly. “Hanguang-jun. I understand your feelings. I nevertheless hope you will consider my proposal, and let me know if you change your mind.”

The only response he got was a flick of Lan Wangji’s gaze to his vague direction, then back to his open book of notes. Jin Zixuan let out a small breath of frustration, but soon he turned and brushed past Wei Wuxian to leave. Wei Wuxian felt his jaw tighten to be in another powerful alpha’s vicinity around Lan Wangji, but he held back the urge to fight him.

He was about to turn to leave too when, to his surprise, he noticed Lan Wangji sitting surprisingly still, his gaze no longer on his notes but roughly near Wei Wuxian’s feet. Wangji seemed to want to say something, but could not form the words. At length he looked away again.

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes through a wave of pain at Lan Wangji’s disinterest in him. But there was nothing he could do about it. If the love of an alpha wasn’t enough, nothing could change at least this particular omega’s mind. He pushed off the door frame and walked back to Jiang Cheng, deciding his angry shouts were much better than silence with his own loneliness.

…

At the end of that week, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian once again sat in lecture together, though far apart and without a glance exchanged between them. About halfway through the class, the other two alphas beside Wei Wuxian both suddenly lifted their heads, sniffing the air. Wei Wuxian sensed their alpha pheromones rising before he smelled what they had, and turned to look at what was causing it. At that moment, the only other omega in the class, a small-bodied and innocent girl, collapsed right out of her seat, panting and grasping at her chest. 

Wei Wuxian gasped. “Lan Zhan!” he cried without thinking.

Lan Wangji noticed the problem at almost the same time and nodded without a word. He and Wei Wuxian each leapt toward one of the alphas, grabbing them and physically forcing them outside the room. Wei Wuxian also put himself outside with them, standing on guard in front of the door, though this required repeatedly kicking and pushing both of them back. He looked in the window and shouted to one of the nearby betas.

“Go get a nurse! We need two alpha and one omega suppressant!”

“You too, Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said calmly, although there was a hint of worry between his brows.

“I, uh…” Wei Wuxian couldn’t exactly say that his low sex drive had already been completely depleted after knowing what sex with his fated pair was like. He merely chuckled. “I guess you’re right. Three alpha suppressants.”

“Okay!” said the beta he’d spoken to, rushing out the door on the other side of the classroom, which fortunately the two alphas Wei Wuxian was struggling against couldn’t get to easily from here. 

The professor, also a beta, was comforting the rutting omega, as was Lan Wangji. When he had moments between wrestling the alphas to glance inside, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help being moved by how gentle Lan Wangji could be, despite his cold exterior. In the end, by the time the nurse arrived, the other two alphas were sporting bruises and both curled up on the floor of the hallway, neither faring well against Wei Wuxian. In fact, Wei Wuxian was so calm that the nurse almost left without giving him a suppressant, thinking him simply a strong beta. 

Wei Wuxian again chuckled awkwardly, even less certain how to explain his situation to a stranger. 

“Doctor.”

Wei Wuxian glanced up in surprise as Lan Wangji said as he approached the scene, after the omega girl had been cared for. 

Without looking at Wei Wuxian, Wangji continued, “The effect of suppressants on powerful alphas takes a heavy physical toll, does it not?”

The nurse blushed just to be in proximity of the cool and beautiful Lan Wangji, not to mention to hear him respectfully assume he was a doctor instead. “Well…it’s a necessary evil. It’s true it makes most people quite ill, but if the alternative is a rut, it’s better than someone else getting hurt or scarred for life.”

“He does not seem to be feeling the effects,” Lan Wangji said, after a glance at Wei Wuxian. 

Wei Wuxian scratched the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly. “Oh, don’t worry so much, Lan Zhan. I’ll take it, I’ll take it,” he said kindly to the nurse.

Though he held out his hand obediently to accept the pill, suddenly his wrist was grasped in the surprisingly strong grip of Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian stared at him in wonder, even as his whole body lit up with happiness to be touched by him.

“There are no other treatments?” Wangji pressed.

The nurse’s blush grew quite extreme. He looked away and muttered softly, “Only…you know…”

“Understood.”

With that, Lan Wangji tugged Wei Wuxian’s wrist to guide him down the hall, then not only out of the school but to the subway. While Wei Wuxian remained utterly baffled, they arrived at the nearest stop to the Lan family mansion, where Lan Wangji then took them. 

Wangji had already led them to his own bedroom before Wei Wuxian was even able to muster the courage to ask what was happening. “Uh…Hanguang-jun?” he asked cautiously, as Lan Zhan expressionlessly set his school bag on his desk and began to remove his jacket. “Are you mad about something? Did you bring me here to show me where you torture and murder alphas you don’t like? A little help, Lan Zhan, your expression is giving me nothing…”

But instead of answering, Lan Wangji stripped off his turtle neck. As Wei Wuxian gaped at his now bare, muscular back, Wangji folded the item and set it aside. The black omega collar around his neck was now starkly obvious. After a momentary pause, he pulled the hair from the back of his neck over his shoulder, almost instantly filling the room with his subtle but incredibly soothing and enticing omega pheromones. Wei Wuxian nearly collapsed from the need burning in his lower body already. 

“Lan Zhan…” he murmured desperately. “I…” He quickly covered his eyes and nose with both hands. “I’m sorry…I know you hate alphas, but…I can’t take this scent…I have to go.”

“My memory of that night,” Lan Wangji said softly, but nevertheless stopped We Wuxian in his tracks. “…is poor. But some things returned later.”

Wei Wuxian unconsciously swallowed, now nearly overwhelmed with both physical and emotional need for him. “Things?” he repeated cautiously.

Lan Wangji nodded. Wei Wuxian could have imagined it, but he thought he saw a touch of red edging at Wangji’s ears. 

“Which things?”

It was a long and tense silence before Lan Wangji was able to voice even a small portion of the heated words exchanged between them that night. “You said…’love’…”

Wei Wuxian felt his insides melt into jelly and even had an urge to cry, even though he was still turned on just to be in the room with Lan Wangji. He nodded as he watched the supremely elegant and now cautiously bashful Lan Zhan, thinking he loved him more every moment. 

“I did,” he said softly. But eventually, his old fears started to rise up along with the memory of Lan Wangji’s rejection of Jin Zixuan. “But…here’s the thing. You said yourself, Lan Zhan. My feelings are my own. If you don’t feel the same then…just do whatever.”

He said this with a grin, hoping he came off as at least coping with Lan Wangji’s rejection. Especially knowing how Wangji felt about men who didn’t take rejection well. But his slight laugh echoed hollow even in the small room. 

Wangji kept his silence, still facing partly away from Wei Wuxian, a slight mark of worry between his brows.

“Oh, that’s right,” Wei Wuxian said brightly, keeping half an eye on the door in case he needed to run before his instincts got away from him. “Besides, you’re straight, aren’t you?”

Wangji turned to look at him with a mild nonplussed look. 

“Uh…you like girls,” Wei Wuxian explained, unbelieving that even Lan Wangji could really have so little knowledge of sexuality. 

Wangji frowned slightly. “I did not say that.”

“Eh…? But you said you don’t like men?”

Lan Zhan closed his eyes in mild irritation. “Only half true.”

“Oh…?”

“I also don’t like women.”

“Oh.” Wei Wuxian held his face in his hands in exasperation and despair. “Uh-huh,” he added numbly.

Lan Wangji had rested his long and graceful fingers on the back of his desk chair as he considered. Wei Wuxian saw them tighten, nearly bending the hard plastic. “I do not approve of taking advantage of a drunken partner,” he said sharply. Wei Wuxian felt as if he had been physically struck by these words. He could barely move. “But…as you seemed also impaired, we are both at fault for that. Furthermore, there are many things I still do not remember, and one I would like to confirm.”

“…what’s that?” Wei Wuxian asked dully, still in a state of despair. 

Lan Wangji closed his eyes and took a breath in. “…my feelings,” he murmured, so quietly that Wei Wuxian barely heard him.

“What?” Wei Wuxian asked, worried he had missed something important. 

To his shock and instantly increasing his anxiety, Lan Wangji calmly walked over to him and increased the proximity of that sweet and enticing scent of his. Wei Wuxian helplessly covered his nose. Lan Wangji’s expression seemed to contain a note of pity.

“I would like to help you,” Wangji said softly. 

“H-…help…?” Wei Wuxian squeaked, peeking at the door which he couldn’t get to without touching Lan Zhan.

Seeming mildly annoyed by his attempts to protect himself from Wangji’s scent, the elegant man reached up and grasped Wei Wuxian’s wrist again, slowly but forcefully bringing it down to his side. From that point he seemed to have run out of adequate words and looked intensely at Wei Wuxian, seeming to hope he would understand.

Wei Wuxian swallowed hard, unable to break his gaze away from the beautiful, dangerous and graceful creature before him. “Oh…from that omega’s pheromones?” He let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh. “You said yourself, I wasn’t really affected that much.”

Lan Zhan tilted his head and observed the state of Wei Wuxian’s pants, which would be impossible to hide at this distance. 

Wei Wuxian groaned and hid his face in his other hand. “Okay, yes…but this isn’t from that, Lan Zhan…”

“What is it from?”

“Are you joking?!” Wei Wuxian finally demanded, now at the edge of reason from being so close to him for so long. “I told you I love you, you drag me here and drown me in that tempting scent of yours and you don’t know what it’s from?!” He moaned into his hand again. “Lan Zhan you’re so cruel…”

He felt a soft touch surround his other wrist and once again Lan Wangji pulled it away, seeming frustrated to be unable to see Wei Wuxian’s face. Even though Wei Wuxian was on the verge of tears and wouldn’t look at him, he could feel Lan Zhan’s penetrating gaze on him. Then, to his shock, Lan Wangji released one of his hands in order to place his in the center of Wei Wuxian’s chest. 

“Eh…?” Wei Wuxian let out an unmanly squeak, but he obediently let Wangji press down slightly on his chest. 

He was feeling his heartbeat. Wei Wuxian’s eyes fluttered at how tender this gesture was, even if Lan Zhan felt nothing for him. Especially given how dismissive he had been of Jin Zixuan, why was he suddenly so concerned with how Wei Wuxian was feeling?

Lan Wangji nodded slightly to himself. “It is the same.”

He took up Wei Wuxian’s hand and placed it over his own bare chest. Wei Wuxian’s knees almost buckled under him to feel Lan Wangji’s skin beneath his fingers. And then a thrill ran through his body as he focused his attention on the hurried hammering that echoed through the hard cage of his ribs. He remained frozen in disbelief even as his sex drive shot through the roof and he stopped being able to think properly.

After a moment in which he glanced up cautiously at Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan then reached across Wei Wuxian’s body to his desk. He opened a small box with only a key inside. He took it out and then put it in Wei Wuxian’s hand. 

Wei Wuxian felt equally numb and electrified. “This is…”

Lan Wangji nodded. He turned his back to Wei Wuxian and pulled back his hair once again to reveal the lock on his collar. 

Wei Wuxian swallowed, nearly drowning in desire for him. But his guilt rose up again almost as quickly. He shook his head, even as his eyes started to sting with tears. “You can’t give me this.”

“Why not?”

“…I can’t be your pair,” Wei Wuxian mumbled, again desperately hiding his face. “You’re…perfect.”

“Mn. I thought the same.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. “…you what?”

“When you defended that girl today. Also…whenever you smile,” Lan Zhan murmured, his voice lowering almost shyly. “In truth, I think this often.”

He turned back to close his hand around Wei Wuxian’s, encouraging him to accept the key. 

“If such a thing as a fated pair exists, it cannot be anything but this,” Lan Wangji said softly.

“…Lan Zhan!”

Wei Wuxian had long passed the limit of his endurance, and at the next gap he wrapped both hands around Lan Wangji’s face and kissed him with all his pent up passion. The two stumbled and barely managed to reach the bed. Once there, Lan Wangji further tortured Wei Wuxian by grasping his chin to turn his head away and hungrily kissing and biting at his neck. 

Wei Wuxian moaned, grasping Lan Wangji’s wrist to encourage him to take off his clothes, as he was already starting to do. “Oh god…sometimes it really feels like you’re the alpha here, Lan Zhan…and you know what? I don’t hate it…”

“Nh,” Lan Wangji commented simply, though Wei Wuxian thought he might have looked a little pleased.

Wei Wuxian helped remove Lan Wangji of his remaining clothing, while Lan Zhan quite leisurely did the same for him. Wei Wuxian shivered from head to toe to feel how covetously and gently Lan Wangji’s fingers explored his body as it came into view. Lan Zhan even bestowed teasing bites to his exposed skin, seeming quite content.

“Ah! Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian whimpered. “My dick hurts already…you’ve got to stop teasing me…”

Lan Wangji looked up toward him, and even though he seemed calm, Wei Wuxian was forced to remember that he had even less experience than Wei Ying. “Then what should I do?”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help placing affectionate kisses on his forehead and cheek, adoring every single thing about this man. “Well…to be honest I’d like anything being done to me if it was you. In general. But I haven’t stopped thinking about being inside you since that night, and I'm about to burst. At least let me get you ready.”

Lan Wangji’s eyelashes fluttered and he looked away. “That is not necessary.”

“Of course it is! Don’t be so casual about your own body!”

Lan Wangji huffed out a sigh, but then turned over onto his hands and knees beneath Wei Wuxian. Then he did something which almost broke the poor struggling alpha. He arched his back to rest his chest against the bed, while keeping his hips high and ready for Wei Wuxian. At this angle, it was obvious that he was not only already wet, but softly dripping. 

“Since I saw you kick one of those other alphas,” Lan Wangji said softly.

Wei Wuxian could barely hear from his heart pounding in his ears. “…this…is a dream, right?”

Lan Wangji shook his head. “Collar first. You will lose your concentration.”

Wei Wuxian actually laughed a little. “How do you already know me so well?”

He could have been mistaken as the other man was in profile so he couldn’t see his full expression, but he thought a very subtle smile tugged at Lan Wangji’s lips. “You’re actually quite simple.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. Even though he could feel his hands shaking, he leaned over Lan Wangji and lovingly stroked his hair away from his neck to reveal the locked collar. “You’re not,” he told him softly in his ear as he brought the key into the lock.

Before he turned it, he whispered softly, “How long since you’ve taken this off?”

“…it was first put on when my sex was determined at thirteen. Since then, I remove it monthly for cleaning when my hormones are low.”

“How long ago was the last time?”

“…two weeks.”

Wei Wuxian swallowed. “Meaning they’re at their peak right now?”

Though a trace of red appeared at the edges of his ears, Lan Wangji nodded. 

Wei Wuxian had to stop briefly, leaning his head against Lan Zhan’s shoulder. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

“Mn.”

Taking a deep breath in and out, Wei Wuxian turned the lock. The collar fell away, revealing the pale and pristine skin which no other human being had ever touched. Wei Wuxian felt himself drooling unstoppably. He opened his mouth and had nearly bitten down when Lan Zhan reached back and touched his hip.

“Inside first,” he said, once again driving Wei Wuxian half mad with his effortless simplicity.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t even speak anymore. His brain was completely full of desire and Lan Wangji’s scent. While hungrily inhaling deeply from the skin waiting for his bite, he grasped his beloved’s slender waist in both hands. His hips twitched as he pressed his tip to Wangji’s soft and wet entrance. But with a flash of fear from what happened after the last time, Wei Wuxian found a brief moment of clarity.

“Lan Zhan…are you scared?” he whispered softly.

Lan Wangji didn’t consider for very long before shaking his head. “No.”

Wei Wuxian let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I am.”

And then Lan Wangji melted his heart once again by reaching behind him to caress Wei Wuxian’s cheek with the tip of his finger. “I’ll look after you,” he said.

As this soft phrase washed over Wei Wuxian’s ravaged heart, he blinked to discover he was leaving salty tears over the skin of his beloved’s nape. He brushed them away and kissed the soft skin there, causing them both to shiver. 

“I will love you…and care for you…every day until I die,” Wei Wuxian whispered against Lan Wangji’s neck.

He heard a soft intake of breath. “…mn.”

He couldn’t hold back any longer. He needed to be inside Lan Wangji, it was the only thing remaining in his mind anymore. He dragged in a deep breath of the scent of Wangji’s neck, pressed his hips forward, and slowly pierced him as deeply as he could. After enduring most of his length with only a flinch of tension, suddenly Lan Wangji let out panting breaths.

“Wei Ying…bite…hurry…”

The meaning of the words had barely clicked in his brain when Wei Wuxian’s jaws were already opening. Savoring every moment until he fully lost himself, he opened his teeth, brushing them against the skin of Lan Wangji’s nape. Then his instincts kicked in and he simultaneously thrust deep inside Wangji and sank a deep bite into his neck.

To his disbelief, as he thought he couldn’t possibly be anymore turned on than he was already, Lan Wangji let out a delicious noise, his hips twitching back against Wei Wuxian’s. His cold persona had flown away in the intense pleasure of finally feeling connected to his destined mate. 

Wei Wuxian held him in an iron grasp, his insides filled with sudden possessiveness, not wanting to let his sweet omega move a single inch. But Wangji was trembling and wiggling impatiently beneath him, not seeming sure what to do with himself. They remained like this for a few moments, and even before Wei Wuxian moved at all, Wangji let out soft, intermittent moans. 

Finally he managed to plead softly, “Wei Ying…!”

Wei Wuxian could only growl, barely holding back from pounding mercilessly inside him and unable to release his bite even if he wanted to.

“Move…please…!” Wangji whispered.

With another growl, Wei Wuxian thrust hard inside him just once. A yelp emerged from Lan Wangji. Then a shivering sigh. But then he began to twitch and shift his hips in desperation.

“Wei Ying…don’t stop!”

Agonizingly slowly, Wei Wuxian gave him one, powerful thrust after another, only reaching a normal rhythm after almost a full minute of slowly building. Only moments after he had, Wangji let out another sweet noise and tensed all over.

Wei Wuxian gasped, finally able to release his neck as pleasure from Wangji tightening around him filled his whole body. Lan Wangji was still cumming long after, his upper body collapsed onto the bed and shuddering. Wei Wuxian lovingly ran his hands down Wangji’s sculpted, disciplined body, stretching from his shoulder blades and wing muscles all the way down both arms, grasping his hands and weaving their fingers together.

With a shivering breath, he managed softly, “Lan Zhan…are you all right to keep going? If not…can you hit me really hard? It’s hard even to keep from biting you again.”

Lan Wangji shuddered all over and Wei Wuxian felt him tighten almost painfully around him. Panting, the devilishly charming Lan Wangji turned halfway up to face him and whispered, “Again. Bite.”

Wei Wuxian was aware he was almost drooling already. It was a travesty that he could not bite Lan Wangji and kiss him at the same time. For now, he could only obey his omega’s deliciously erotic request, and bite down on his nape firmly while resuming his deep thrusting inside him.

Wei Wuxian quickly felt dizzy with pleasure. Even after cumming, Lan Wangji seemed to be similarly afflicted, still casting out moans now and then from Wei Wuxian’s movements. Each one sent waves of heat down Wei Wuxian’s body, until he felt his knot starting to form. 

Without even releasing his bite, Wei Wuxian grunted desperately, “Lan Zhan…can I cum inside?”

“Inside…” Wangji gasped. Wei Wuxian nearly fainted with happiness and desire when Wangji reached both hands up over his shoulders to grasp Wei Wuxian there and squeeze his powerful grip down into Wei Wuxian’s skin. “Cum…inside…want…”

Wei Wuxian wanted to speak, to praise Wangji for the mind-blowing sexiness he had just given him, but his brain was entirely lost in pleasure. He cried out against Wangji’s nape as he thrust hard inside him, knotting him as deeply as he could. Wangji’s fingers tightened down on him, almost as if he were biting in response. Wei Wuxian was drowning in love for him.

He was even happier when, just like the last time, it seemed Wangji was feeling waves of repeated orgasms the entire time that Wei Wuxian was pumping his seed inside him. He still graced Wei Wuxian’s ears with the delightful sounds of his moans and gasps, and his whole body continued giving irregular twitches of movement. Wei Wuxian held him so tightly he was sure he would have trouble breathing, but Wangji seemed in as much bliss as he was. They were both so overwhelmed by what they had just experienced that they nearly fell asleep in this position, even as Wei Wuxian continued cumming. 

But fortunately Wei Wuxian came to his senses only a few moments after he had completely drained himself inside his beloved. While Lan Wangji was still a little dopey, Wei Wuxian gasped as he reluctantly pulled out of him. When he could stand confidently, without his knees shaking, he gathered a sleepy Lan Wangji in his arms and carried him into a bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, lovingly kissing Wangji’s cheek. “I want to let you rest but we have to get this stuff out of you.”

Lan Wangji blinked up blearily at him. But rather than answer, he merely tugged Wei Wuxian’s chin down and gave him several soft kisses. Wei Wuxian nearly collapsed from how moved he was by this soft gesture, and he hoped Wangji didn’t notice the tears that he subtly wiped away when he set him down inside the tub and looked around for a moveable shower head. 

He found it and turned on the water far away from Wangji, testing it on his own hand until it was a comfortable temperature. “Let’s get the sweat off you too while we’re here. Your neck must be hurting.”

Wangji shook his head, but he allowed Wei Wuxian to pull back his hair and examine the injury. Wei Wuxian swallowed looking at it. Though it pained him that he had caused Wangji an injury that would never completely go away, seeing his own bite on his omega’s neck, and just now realizing how warm and connected he felt to him, had him halfway between tears and another erection. He shook himself and returned to his task.

“It’s going to sting,” he warned Wangji.

Wangji flicked his gaze skyward with a small huff of indifference, and Wei Wuxian smiled. He let the water run down Lan Zhan’s sculpted back. Truly, he thought, this man is the perfection of male beauty. And a small voice inside him added, ‘And now he’s mine.’ Deep places inside him where only cold loneliness used to reside were filled with warmth. 

He conscientiously rinsed off as much sweat as possible from Lan Zhan’s upper body, and paused as he let the shower head travel lower. He couldn’t help caressing Lan Wangji’s stomach and thinking about his seed inside him. Truly, every instinct told him he wanted it to stay there. But he couldn’t bear the guilt if Wangji grew ill after this, and pregnancy was certainly a conversation for another time. He did however audibly swallow seeing the trail of his own semen flowing from between Lan Wangji’s legs. 

“I-…is this position comfortable for you?” he asked to distract himself, realizing it would probably take a few minutes to clean him out completely.

Wangji nodded, and then once again nearly broke Wei Wuxian’s heart by leaning in close and nuzzling the inside of Wei Wuxian’s neck like a pleased cat. Wei Wuxian instinctively closed his eyes and stroked his shoulder with his free hand, wanting to give this person every comfort and pleasure in the world. He kissed his forehead, then returned to his task.

When he was done, he dried Wangji off and carried him back into bed. “Do you sleep in pajamas?” he asked him.

Wangji nodded and pointed to a drawer in his dresser. Wei Wuxian scampered over to it and pulled out a pair, somehow very happy to wrap his omega up in comfortable clothes and get him into bed. He tucked him in just as Lan Wangji’s eyes were growing heavy.

“So…if you want I can go home now. I don’t want to get your bed or pajamas all sweaty so I won’t-“

Before he had even finished speaking, Lan Wangji held out both arms toward him, like a child asking to be picked up. Wei Wuxian lost his breath. 

“You…ha ha,” he laughed helplessly, too full of disbelief and joy to keep from laughing. “…Lan Wangji. Lan Zhan. Hanguang-jun.” He said each of his names as he joined him in bed and curled up beside him. “There’s nobody like you. It could only be you.”

“Mn.”

…

The next morning, Wei Wuxian got on his knees before Zewu-jun, Lan Wangji’s older brother, who had been home the entire time but simply attempting to meditate quietly in his own room while the other two seemed to be trying to bring the house down. Nearly the mirror image of Lan Wangji but a slightly more mature and powerful alpha, Zewu-jun – though having a reputation as being extremely gentle – seemed to be fighting with himself as he forcibly tried to keep his reaction to Wei Wuxian’s existence to a minimum.

After listening with incredible patience to Wei Wuxian babbling for some time, he turned a slightly forced smile to his younger brother.

“He’s the one?” he asked simply.

Lan Wangji nodded.

“I see. And…it can’t be any other?” Zewu-jun pressed.

Lan Wangji shook his head. A subtle gesture but one which nonetheless nearly broke Wei Wuxian’s heart with happiness.

With a soft sigh, no doubt familiar with how utterly immovable his brother could be once he had decided something, Zewu-jun nodded. He turned a reluctant smile on the prostrate Wei Wuxian. “In that case, then…welcome to the family, Young Master Wei.”

“Zewu-jun!” Wei Wuxian cried, leaping up and hugging him. 

Zewu-jun attempted a chuckle, but Wei Wuxian instinctively felt his hair stand on end. “Young Master Wei,” he said carefully. “I am happy for you. But you are a fellow alpha in the presence of my omega brother. If you continue touching me I am likely to throw you through a window on instinct.”

“Yep, that’s reasonable,” Wei Wuxian said, hurriedly returning to Lan Wangji’s side.

But Zewu-jun did offer another smile to his brother, this one sadder but more genuine. “Find happiness, Wangji.”

Lan Wangji nodded. “I have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	4. Rivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng are inadvertently set up as rival marriage partners for the same omega. But when things go wrong and Jiang Cheng unexpectedly goes into heat, Xichen doesn't hesitate to help him.

“Zewu-jun, your car is ready,” said the disciple on duty in the Lan family mansion, bowing deeply.

“Thank you,” said Lan Xichen with a soft, but forced smile.

He descended the stairs of the second floor his mansion, smoothing his tie over his chest. Symbolically, he attempted to soothe the anxiety stirring there.

His hair, cascading down his back and now and then revealing a glimpse of his white forehead ribbon, was perfectly in place. His three-piece suit, a blend of silk and cashmere, was all white and silver but for his periwinkle blue undershirt, which contrasted pleasantly with his white silk tie and waistcoat of exquisite brocade. He looked exactly as he should for a marriage interview. His feelings, he hoped, would accompany his appearance. Eventually.

Though arranged marriages were a thing of the past for commoner families, elite cultivation families experienced great pressure to make their marriages a political affair. And now that his younger brother Lan Wangji had firmly rejected Jin Zixuan, there was even more pressure on Lan Xichen to marry an omega from a prestigious clan and produce an heir. 

Today, he was to meet with Lady Qin Su, first daughter of the Qin clan. While the Qin were not well known for their cultivation, the important thing was that Qin Su was well-bred, of the right age, and an omega. Those were rare enough already. For the more conservative members of the Lan, it also helped that she was a woman.

While the whole event was stressful, there were two things in particular that kept the anxiety flickering softly with each of Xichen’s attempts at calming breaths. Firstly, like most true-hearted members of the Lan, Xichen considered himself more of a romantic than a practical person. While duty was paramount, he felt his insides grow cold when he thought of tying his forehead ribbon around the wrist of someone he did not love. The second worry was one that was even more difficult to bring up with his elders.

He had never once felt either attraction or romantic love toward a woman before.

Not that he had ever been in love with a man either. Not exactly. There were times he thought…but no, he decided. It must be that he simply had no interest in romance. Or perhaps he hadn’t met the right person. Yes, he told himself, it was best to be positive. Perhaps when he met Qin Su, he would be charmed by her, and this memory would become merely an amusing anecdote to tell their grandchildren.

He arrived at the Qin estate and was shown in to a sitting room to wait for Qin Su’s arrival, where he was served tea in the meantime. Typically, the intended couple would be first introduced together with one another’s families, after which the families would depart to socialize on their own, while the couple would be left to get to know each other. In Lan Xichen’s case, he was the head of his family himself, and wished not to disturb his uncle from his professorial obligations. Qin Su’s mother was indisposed, and her father seemed to have difficulty taking time off work, so for now at least, Xichen waited alone.

But then the door to the sitting room opened. The one who stepped in, however, was not quite what Lan Xichen expected. 

No doubt due to nerves, the entrant did not look at Xichen as he walked in and sat down at the couch opposite him. He took a deep breath and then grumbled softly, “Lady Qin.” He awkwardly bowed his head a little. “An honor.”

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Jiang Wanyin, dressed in his finest suit and even sporting an expensive-looking lotus diadem in his hair, cautiously looked up. His face drained of color as he saw not Qin Su, but Lan Xichen, still holding a cup of tea, sitting across from him and looking equally puzzled but also a little amused. 

Lan Xichen clearly his throat and slowly set down his tea. He clasped his hands and offered a cursory bow. “Master Jiang. What an…unexpected pleasure,” he said with a smile.

Jiang Cheng shot to his feet. “Lan Xichen?!” he exclaimed. 

“Master Jiang! Master Jiang!” A servant came rushing in, bowing profusely toward Jiang Cheng. “I am deeply sorry. Your meeting with Lady Qin is not until later. I was meant to show you to a different room until then…”

Lan Xichen politely covered his mouth with his hand to hide a smile. “I see,” he said, also getting to his feet out of courtesy. “So we came here today with the same idea in mind.”

The same thing seemed to be occurring to Jiang Cheng, but far from amusement, a flush of fury and shame bloomed over his face. So much so that words he probably didn’t mean soon erupted from him.

“You…you’ve been…courting other alphas…? On the same day?!” he hissed to the innocent servant, whom he was probably aware had nothing to do with this. “What kind of a tawdry clan is this?! Were you knocking on doors of great clans, begging to see whose dowry would be the cheapest price for you to enrich your social position?! You treat your daughter like merchandise and alphas like breeding studs?!”

“Master Jiang…please don’t be angry with Lady Qin…she only didn’t wish to disappoint either of you!” the servant pleaded.

As it seemed Jiang Cheng was about to storm off in shame, Lan Xichen stepped in and placed a comforting hand on the servant’s shoulder. “This situation is quite awkward, but these things do happen. No one blames your mistress. But that said, this is not quite a fortuitous start to marriage talks. I believe it would be best for all to try another day.”

With relief and anguish, the servant bowed deeply to Lan Xichen. “Please do not be angry with her, Zewu-jun. Please give my mistress your full consideration, Master Jiang, Zewu-jun. My deepest apologies.”

“Hmph!” Jiang Cheng scoffed, turning for the door. 

Xichen offered the servant a last apologetic smile before following after Jiang Cheng. “Master Jiang,” he said as he caught up to him. “I hope you’re not angry with me either.”

If possible, Jiang Cheng’s flush of anger seemed to grow even worse. He clenched his teeth before stopping in his tracks, even though they were still on the Qin estate, and shouting at Lan Xichen, “How can you not be angry?! We were both humiliated! Me much more than you…” he added with bitter anguish.

Lan Xichen purposefully showed mild surprise. “Is that so? It seemed like a common mistake to me.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed before he began walking away again, which Xichen followed curiously. “Spoken like a true elite. It’s obvious why only I would be humiliated by this.”

“…why is that?”

A loud sigh. “Because I obviously don’t compare to the Lan Sect Leader, Twin Jade of Lan, Zewu-jun!” Jiang Cheng raged spitefully. 

But Xichen only blinked innocently at him. “In what way?”

Jiang Cheng actually turned to gape at him in abject befuddlement. “Wh-…” he let out a frustrated sigh. “You know, Zewu-jun, at a certain point false modesty just makes people angrier.”

Xichen hadn’t been attempting false modesty, at least that he was aware, but he gathered his attempts to ease Jiang Cheng’s humiliation were only making it worse. He fell silent. 

Jiang Cheng too stopped and shifted his jaw anxiously, seeming to be wondering if he had overstepped and offended Xichen just now. “Never mind,” he grumbled. “I’ll back off. You take that two-timer if you want her.”

“Master Jiang,” Xichen stopped him as it seemed he was about to leave. Jiang Cheng cautiously looked over at Xichen’s feet, seeming too embarrassed to look him in the eye. “No matter my intention, I have certainly played a part in upsetting you today. I assume we both came here hungry, so won’t you join me at home for lunch, to cast off the awkwardness between us?”

Jiang Cheng’s fists tightened at his sides, but to Xichen’s eye, his expression seemed quite moved. It seemed that even though he had felt some humiliation from Xichen’s presence today, he did hold respect for him. He huffed slightly. 

“You all only eat rabbit food, don’t you?” he grumbled.

Xichen was highly amused. “The Lan diet is quite bland,” he admitted with a wide smile.

“I know a place. I’ll pay,” Jiang Cheng decided for both of them, already beginning to walk away without waiting to see if Lan Xichen would follow. 

Xichen chuckled. He folded his arms behind his back and followed a step or two behind Jiang Cheng at a leisurely pace. 

The restaurant Jiang Cheng chose was small, rather dark and quiet, and very pleasant for two people to eat peacefully. It was not the sort of place Xichen would normally go, so he enjoyed the atmosphere very much. The cuisine was, unsurprisingly, spicy Sichuan food, which Xichen could only handle in very small amounts. He satisfied himself mostly with rice and tea.

Jiang Cheng glanced at his tea just as he was about to take a drink of baijiu. He looked up at Xichen with a difficult expression. “Oh…you don’t drink,” he said rather glumly, setting down his cup.

Xichen was touched by his consideration, though in fact he quite enjoyed being in the presence of drunk people, who were often even more honest about their various quirks. “I do not, but I do not hate the presence of it. Please be at your ease.”

Jiang Cheng seemed doubtful, but he also really seemed to want a drink. Eventually he picked his cup back up and downed a shot. After picking at his food, with Xichen drinking his tea and appreciating the atmosphere, Jiang Cheng spoke up.

“I didn’t…know you were, you know…looking.”

Xichen blinked as he worked out what he meant. “Ah. Ha ha.” Even to him, his laugh sounded forced. He cast a sigh and a melancholy look down at his tea. “The pressures of leading a clan. You are in a similar position, I imagine.”

“There’s that too,” Jiang Cheng admitted, taking a bite of stir fried green beans and another shot of baijiu. He too let out a soft sigh. “And they say Lady Qin is very kind. And beautiful.” He shifted his jaw with a bitter expression. 

Xichen wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just smiled and nodded. 

This however caused Jiang Cheng to look up curiously. “What’s that look? You don’t think she’s beautiful?”

Xichen blinked, opening his mouth awkwardly before he had a response. He had met Lady Qin years before and knew what she looked like, but…he was not really capable of making such judgements. Nonetheless, no response at all would seem likely to offend the young Jiang alpha.

“I’m sure she is,” he hedged, nodding more enthusiastically this time.

“Hmph,” Jiang Cheng scoffed, scowling at him. “Okay, then. If Lady Qin doesn’t stir you, who exactly is beautiful enough for the great Zewu-jun?”

“ ‘Enough’?” Xichen replied, surprised. He shook his head sadly, feeling misunderstood. “I did not say she was not beautiful. But more importantly, I think physical beauty is a very small concern when considering a life partner.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed again. “Everyone says that. No one really believes it.”

“…I do.”

“Hn,” Jiang Cheng huffed, looking into his baijiu cup. “If you say that, you might as well say you’d be fine with a man.”

Xichen lowered his gaze in subtle disappointment at the intolerance in Jiang Cheng’s tone. He did not feel comfortable responding to the sentiment, but his silence was enough of an answer. 

Jiang Cheng drew back slightly, his eyes widening. “Z-…Zewu-jun…?” he murmured. “You…you…you’re not a…?”

Xichen sighed, closing his eyes. “If I were? Is it so reprehensible?”

To his surprise, Jiang Cheng was silenced at this. He stared listlessly at the hotpot before him for some time. Xichen could have imagined it, but he thought his cheeks looked a little red. After a few moments of silence between them, he noticed Jiang Cheng swallowing, nervously unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt as if he were overly warm.

“I, uh…” Jiang Cheng began. Suddenly, he gasped. “Oh no. But…why? It’s not time yet…”

As Xichen watched in wonder, Jiang Cheng curled in on himself, clutching at his chest, panting and beginning to sweat. Xichen’s breath hitched. There was no mistaking what was happening to him right now. He quickly pulled out his cell phone.

“Wang Han? I need someone to bring the car to me.”

As they waited for the car, Xichen came to sit beside Jiang Cheng rather than opposite him and instinctively held him around his shoulders to ground him. As an alpha himself, of course he understood how uncomfortable heats could be, and how being out in public was the most humiliating and frightening way to experience them. 

“Wanyin,” he said softly. “Take deep breaths. Do not try to fight it from happening or you may lose control. I have you, I won’t let you hurt anyone.”

Jiang Cheng was trembling in Xichen’s hands. But even though one thing after another seemed to have been utterly humiliating for him on this day, there was a flicker of gratitude on his face. Xichen thought he also leaned a little against him. Xichen tried to pretend he didn’t feel anything from this. 

When the car arrived, he guided Jiang Cheng carefully outside, and sat with him in the back. Once they were out of sight, he was shocked as Jiang Cheng clung fully to his chest, still trembling like a lost child. 

“Zewu-jun…” he whispered.

Xichen’s spine thrummed with a spark of some forbidden feeling. As he tried to cope with it, he realized he should reassure him. He swallowed and hesitantly placed a hand on Jiang Cheng’s back, stoking him softly there. He felt as if a wave of warmth passed up his body from his core as he realized how warm Jiang Cheng’s back was under his fingers. Had he ever touched someone this way before? So intimately?

Xichen had of course experienced heats too, but since Wangji was an omega, the two had to be separated at the time. He had never helped someone else through their heat before. Perhaps someone else’s pheromones, even a fellow alpha’s, could influence anyone around them, making them feel the echoes of their desire as well. But Xichen had never heard of such a thing.

He didn’t realize until too late that he had not told his driver to take them to the Jiang mansion, and by default the disciple had already brought them within a few blocks of the Lan estate instead. 

“Oh…I’m sorry, Wanyin. I wasn’t thinking. We’ve come to the Lan estate. Can you hold on for another twenty minutes or so?”

But Jiang Cheng only shook his head softly against Xichen’s chest. Xichen was nearly frozen for a few moments in the midst of an aching need rising in his chest. On some level, he knew that was exactly the reason he should get Jiang Cheng away from himself right now. He could simply have a beta disciple lock Jiang Cheng away somewhere, where he would be safe. He told himself he felt pity for how Jiang Cheng must be feeling. Whatever the case, he couldn’t resist the urge to stay with him.

He did bring him to the detached cabin that the two brothers alternated using during their heats, which was separated from the main house and could be locked on both sides if necessary. He half carried the trembling Jiang Cheng to the large bed there, letting him rest back against it, then locked the door from the inside. 

He returned and joined Jiang Cheng in the bed without a thought, though all he did was gather the shivering alpha in his arms and hold him against his chest. He told himself that this was just for Jiang Cheng’s comfort. Indeed, it did seem to help.

Now that they were alone, curled up together on the bed, Jiang Cheng’s body slowly eased of tension. He closed his eyes. After a moment, he breathed in Xichen’s scent, showing a look of contentment. He began softly nuzzling against Lan Xichen’s chest. Just by doing this, however, he instantly blew away all the lies Xichen had told himself to get them here. 

Seeing the rutting Jiang Cheng rub his cheek on Xichen’s chest, feeling his warmth gently moving inside his arms, it became impossible to deny what he felt: he wanted him.

Xichen closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He wasn’t even in heat, yet he could feel desire surging inside his body. Warmth pooled deeply in one body part in particular, which he hoped Jiang Cheng could not feel from this angle. 

But this was wrong. Jiang Cheng was a younger man, an alpha, someone he only really knew from passing interactions between their clans. Earlier this same day, he had been a romantic and political rival. Xichen knew he wasn’t in love with him. But seeing this proud man trembling and panting against him, struggling against waves of desire, made it impossible to deny that he not only admired him, but he wanted to see more of him. To feel him. 

Xichen had a lifetime of practice with self-control. Even if he felt such desire, he should not be so tempted. He realized one reason that it was more difficult now, but there was no easy solution: he had spent too long denying sexual urges of any kind. Part of him, through his uncle’s influence, had associated them with damage to the spirit. Because he denied them, because they frightened him, he had spent too long not learning how to face them. He was contradicting his own advice from minutes ago. 

It was all he could do to hold Jiang Cheng softly against him, closing his eyes and trying to empty his mind of thoughts. But then, things became harder for him.

Jiang Cheng made a soft, shivering sigh. One of his legs slid in between Xichen’s. Xichen’s lower body lit up with sensation as he felt Jiang Cheng’s hips brush up against his own. He let out a gasp. 

“Wanyin…!”

But to his objection, Jiang Cheng raised his face from nuzzling Xichen’s chest up to the hollow of his neck. He could feel Jiang Cheng breathing in his scent, even though the scent of another alpha should have forestalled his desire. Even more shocking, he heard Jiang Cheng open his mouth. Hot, wet breath against his neck. The flick of a tongue. And then inexplicably, a soft but passionate bite.

“Ah!” Xichen cried, tensing and unconsciously clinging to Jiang Cheng. He could feel himself twitching with desire; he had no control over it. Alphas should not feel pleasure from being bitten. Why was he feeling so much?

“Wanyin…” Xichen begged, trying to loosen his grip in fear of inadvertently hurting Jiang Cheng. “I know it’s hard now, but…you will regret this later. I have to leave.”

Jiang Cheng growled and suddenly pinned Xichen to the bed with abnormal strength due to his heat. Xichen shivered, but not from fear. He was being pinned down by a younger man, and a fellow alpha. He should feel disgusted. But there was so much excitement flooding his body that he could barely breathe, let alone think. 

“Wanyin…! Please…I-“

Before he could finish, Jiang Cheng’s face drew close to his own. Rather than a kiss, he merely brushed their lips and dipped his tongue inside Xichen’s mouth, as if tasting a fine wine. His eyes were still open, his pupils dilated as he tasted deeply of the inside Xichen’s mouth, caressing every surface with his tongue. 

Xichen was trembling and aching all over. But inside his mouth in particular, he felt totally rapt by the sensations Jiang Cheng was giving him. Each dive of Jiang Cheng’s tongue inside his mouth caused Xichen to shift his hips in hunger. And each time it curved up the roof of his mouth, as if leaving, he arched his back and chased after it. 

Finally, Jiang Cheng sank down over him and kissed him properly. From this point on, Xichen had all but given up any hope of resisting. He even squeezed down on Jiang Cheng’s hands, which were pinning his own to the bed. 

“Wanyin…” he gasped halfheartedly, as the younger man briefly released his lips. “Please come back to your senses…you don’t even like me, do you?”

Xichen was shocked when, at hearing this, Jiang Cheng’s eyes grew somewhat red, and there was reluctance over his expression. He seemed to find it difficult to speak, with so much of his mind being rattled by his raging pheromones, but he muttered softly, “…like you.”

“…oh…” Xichen whispered in wonder, both at this adorable confession and at the surge of warmth and happiness inside his own body at hearing it. And with it, his last thread of control slipped away.

He eagerly indulged in Jiang Cheng’s kisses when they returned, until he felt quite weak with desire. Fortunately, Jiang Cheng was full of energy as he rather roughly and carelessly set about removing Xichen’s clothes. Xichen tried to help him with his own, but was continuously distracted by Jiang Cheng now and then giving up his task of either kissing him or disrobing him only to lick or bite a new piece of exposed skin. 

“Ah!” he cried out as Jiang Cheng grasped him around his chest and sucked down on his nipple. Xichen didn’t even realize he was sensitive there. But to be honest, every part of him felt good to be touched at this moment. 

He soon realized, as Jiang Cheng managed to remove them both of upper clothing and then Xichen of lower, and as his hands lasciviously curved around Xichen’s ass, exactly what this rutting alpha wanted to do with him. Just with this realization, Xichen felt his own cock twitch against his now bare stomach. He was sure he should feel some reticence about letting a man inside him, but at this moment it was all he could do to keep from cumming any time he felt Jiang Cheng’s lips or teeth touch him.

Once he had tossed aside the last of Xichen’s clothing, Jiang Cheng sat back for a moment, admiring Xichen’s sculpted body. He swallowed hard. His hands roamed up Xichen’s alabaster thighs, then further heightened the other man’s pleasure and embarrassment by grasping both and forcing them apart. Xichen shifted his hips to hide his embarrassment, but he was fully on display before Jiang Cheng.

He was in for worse torment however as Jiang Cheng hungrily bent down over his waist, grasped his thighs under his arms to tilt up his hips, and with barely any warning began licking and even forcing his tongue inside Xichen’s tight entrance. 

Xichen threw his head back with a gasp, but he felt totally under Jiang Cheng’s control. In this position, he could barely even move his upper body except to lift his arms over his head in desperation. Mild panic about how wrong this was now and then interrupted his pleasure, but those moments were far outweighed by the intense sensations thrumming up from his lower body, everywhere that Jiang Cheng touched him. 

All his mind became focused on the feeling of Jiang Cheng’s tongue. It gave his entrance teasing licks before pushing slowly inside. Once there, Xichen’s body again became alive with a new wave of sensations. A deep pleasure he had never known existed, nearly coming to a point each time Jiang Cheng’s tongue flicked up toward a certain spot. Though his tongue felt incredible, he began to want more. 

“Wanyin…I’m about to…” he murmured.

Jiang Cheng’s pleasure-dazed eyes flicked up to him reluctantly and he slowly withdrew his tongue, allowing Xichen’s hips back down onto the bed. To Xichen’s surprise, he then deeply licked the surface of his own hand, then stroking that hand over his cock to give it some wetness. Xichen’s chest felt tight. He couldn’t imagine what it would feel like, but he wanted it so badly. 

He willingly let Jiang Cheng part his legs and slide between them until his tip was pressed against Xichen’s twitching entrance. Xichen couldn’t speak, but he watched Jiang Cheng hungrily. Finally, and while simultaneously caressing Xichen’s face with his fingers, the young Jiang alpha spread Xichen’s hole wide with his burning hot, rutting alpha cock.

Only moments after entering him, Xichen’s body was locked tightly, trapped in powerful sensations of both pleasure and pain. Above him, Jiang Cheng let out a long, shuddering moan. He soon crumpled against Xichen and wrapped his arms around him, trembling slightly and not seeming to know what to do. Xichen’s heart melted at how much pleasure Jiang Cheng was feeling from him, and he unconsciously felt his muscles loosen, inadvertently letting him in deeper.

Both men moaned as Jiang Cheng’s cock slid all the way inside him. While Xichen was at a loss, barely able to move, Jiang Cheng reached up and grasped his face in both hands. One hand remained there while the other slid erotically down Xichen’s chest, covetously exploring every curve of his shivering body. Xichen did not need the extra stimulation, and soon the pleasure was so much that he began to grow afraid of what would happen if Jiang Cheng moved inside him.

His fears did him little good as he was feeling it so much that there was little strength left in his body. He could only softly moan Jiang Cheng’s name, not even sure what he wanted him to do.

Slowly, Jiang Cheng began to roll his hips up against him. Each time, Xichen let out a cry, feeling as if his cock were being stimulated from the inside. It was a frightening kind of pleasure. Each slow thrust made him question whether he could hold on to his sanity. The sensation was so overpowering, it was nothing like anything he had experienced before, even during his own heats. He could feel Jiang Cheng’s body heat burning through him, forcing him open, claiming him.

Jiang Cheng began to increase the pace, grunting softly as he panted against Xichen’s chest. Several time, he seemed unable to resist the temptation and leaned down to bite hard into Xichen’s skin, even leaving red marks. The first time he did this, Xichen almost came. And the third time, he did.

“Ahhhh!” Xichen cried loudly as he spurted cum onto his own chest. 

Jiang Cheng gasped and collapsed on top of him, trembling from the feeling of Xichen tightening and twitching around his fully hard cock in rut. “Xi…chen…” Jiang Cheng groaned in agonized pleasure.

Xichen shivered at hearing his name from Jiang Cheng in the midst of his long orgasm. He couldn’t stop twitching. He still craved something, he didn’t know what. But without giving him quite long enough of a pause, Jiang Cheng began desperately thrusting inside him again. Xichen wrapped his arms around him and didn’t even realize as his fingernails dug into Jiang Cheng’s back. 

Jiang Cheng moaned out loud at the scratches, which helped to bring back his senses a little. However, they also increased his pleasure. His hips pumped faster and faster inside Xichen. Xichen only realized too late what it would mean when an alpha in rut began to cum. He halfheartedly tried to voice an objection, but each attempt was blown from his head as Jiang Cheng’s cock struck against that place inside him, giving him so much pleasure that his mind could hold on to nothing else.

Finally, after a few particularly hard thrusts, Xichen felt an intense pressure and then Jiang Cheng’s cock drove suddenly deeper than ever inside him, filling him completely. 

“Ahh…!” Xichen gasped, feeling another terrifying wave of pleasure streak down his body. His eyes fluttered with a different, deep kind of pleasant sensation as he realized Jiang Cheng had knotted him. 

“Wanyin…Wanyin…” Xichen moaned again and again, as they were both trapped in the overpowering sensation. 

Jiang Cheng collapsed against him and wrapped both arms tightly around Xichen’s torso. His body was tense and trembling as burst after burst of cum began flooding Xichen’s insides. Xichen couldn’t help but feel waves of pleasure from the incredible warmth filling him. He was trapped watching Jiang Cheng gasp and tremble through the sensations, looking somehow more adorable than ever. Once he had recovered a little from his own intense orgasm, Xichen was even able to bring his hands up and stroke Jiang Cheng’s back and hair comfortingly through his long ejaculation. 

His mind grew a little hazy for a while at this time, and he realized Jiang Cheng was not satisfied with just one. He was helpless as Jiang Cheng shifted his hips up so that he could reach his face to kiss him, and his neck to bite him, as he began pumping inside him again. When he had some consciousness, he halfheartedly wrapped his arms around Jiang Cheng, wordlessly encouraging him to keep going even if Xichen couldn’t keep up.

In the end, Xichen was no match for Jiang Cheng in rut, and ended up losing consciousness several times while he was still inside him. But each time he woke, he would reassure the struggling Jiang Cheng with kisses, unable to voice clearly but wanting him to know it was all right to let out all his passion onto Xichen. He passed out the final time when Jiang Cheng grasped his cock and forced a dry orgasm from him in the midst of cumming inside him one final time. 

When he woke the next morning, his first sensation was being desperately uncomfortable. His body was covered in bite marks, a few which had drawn blood. His lower body ached in all kinds of ways, his hole stinging and his stomach hurting too. But there was also a pleasant warmth beside him and comforting pressure against his chest. 

He looked down to see a peacefully sleeping Jiang Cheng curled up against him as close as he could be. He even had one hand clinging to Xichen’s shoulder in his sleep, as if afraid he would run away. Despite his discomfort, Xichen smiled warmly down at the sleeping puppy in his arms. He didn’t think deeply as he brushed a few sweaty locks from his forehead and placed a kiss there. 

The question remained of what to tell Jiang Cheng, or anyone else for that matter, about what had happened the previous night. But, Xichen decided, that was a concern for much later in the morning. He settled back, holding Jiang Cheng tighter against him, and decided it wouldn’t hurt to sleep in a little more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	5. Wei Wuxian is a Doting Husband

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are finally married, and on their wedding night, Wei Wuxian experiences his first heat with Lan Wangji. The result is that A-Yuan is conceived. Upon realizing the news, Wei Wuxian's obsession with Lan Wangji only grows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, lxnwxngjx, for the sweet idea for this chapter. 💜💜💜

It was a simple ceremony, but one that none in attendance would soon forget. Both their families celebrated with them all afternoon, and then shared a small but rich and fulfilling feast that evening, full of foods made from lotus. After everyone had finished eating, Lan Wangji disappeared for a few moments. When he returned, conversation ceased.

He was wearing in a heartbreakingly red pien-fu, patterned with gold silk, embroidered in the shape of lotuses from near his feet, stretching up to clouds on his upper body. His head was veiled in red gossamer, but his beauty shone through, instantly bringing the room to silence. His beauty, normally subdued by his icy aesthetic, was now brought to its full perfection, so much that even the happily married couples in the room feared having their hearts stolen by him. 

Wei Wuxian had been all smiles all evening, but now his smile became a sad one. As soon as he saw Wangji, he began to cry, and he didn’t stop even as he smiled and rose to clasp Wangji’s hands, resting his head against Wangji’s and laughing at nothing. He sniffed and sobbed, even beginning to tremble, halfheartedly attempting to wipe his tears away. Wangji also raised his sleeve to dab at Wei Wuxian’s cheeks expressionlessly, causing several of their family members to laugh softly at the foolish couple.

“Wei Ying. The veil,” Wangji prompted gently.

“Mn. Just a minute. I’m trying to stop shaking. You’re so beautiful. What are you doing marrying me?” he added with a wet chuckle, crying even harder despite his words.

Wangji clasped his face to prevent him from looking away in embarrassment. “Like you. Love you. Can’t be anyone but you.”

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, sending more tears dripping down his cheeks, as he smiled softly and clasped Wangji’s hand against his face. He nodded. “Like you. Love you. Can’t be anyone but you.”

Wangji nodded too. 

After a steadying breath, Wei Wuxian’s face broke into a blissfully happy smile as he watched Wangji with fascination. Finally, he grasped the front edges of the veil. He pulled it up inch by inch, letting the garment slide back smoothly down Wangji’s lustrous black hair. Without the veil to hide it, though Wei Wuxian began to tear up again simply at the peerless beauty standing before him, he could now see there was a slight upward tilt to Wangji’s lips. Before the veil had hit the ground, and regardless of the fact that they were surrounded by their family, he clasped Wangji’s face in both hands and bestowed a long but feather-soft kiss. 

Lan Qiren coughed with noticeable anger.

The two eventually broke away, Wei Wuxian laughing and even Lan Wangji visibly smiling a little. Wangji soon clasped both Wei Wuxian’s hands for a moment and sighed. Releasing one, he silently reached up to his forehead ribbon and pulled it loose. 

Lan Wangji took the ribbon and wrapped one end several times around Wei Wuxian’s wrist. Then around his own opposite one. He wove their fingers together and squeezed Wei Wuxian’s hand as he looked devotedly up at him. 

Wei Wuxian chuckled, but he had started to cry again. “You caught me!” he proclaimed softly.

“Mn,” Wangji nodded. He smiled openly. “I caught you.”

Sitting beside a quietly crying Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli, and a reluctantly not-entirely-displeased Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Cheng sighed loudly. He stood up from his seat and clapped twice. “Party’s over. They’ll be useless now anyway. Pack it up, come on. No, A-Jie, I promise you they don’t need that many prayer pouches! Bring some home!”

Even as Wei Wuxian turned to laugh joyfully at his siblings’ interaction, Wangji did not hesitate to pull him away from the party and toward the detached cabin, which for tonight anyway had been designated as their bridal chamber. They walked out into the sweet summer night air, their path lit by candles that had been placed along the way. The clear sky and dots of stars seemed to be just for them.

Wei Wuxian’s heart was thundering in his ears. Even just following the back of his silky black head, with red and glints of gold fluttering all around him, their hands joined by the simple white cloth, Wei Wuxian thought his heart might burst. His tears wouldn’t stop even after they arrived, and Lan Wangji patiently comforted him while he sobbed seriously for a few moments. Wangji seemed to understand that it was more than just happiness.

“Is it your parents?” Wangji asked, softly stroking his back. 

Wei Wuxian nodded, but he couldn’t speak. He wanted to say it was just that he was sad they weren’t here to see this. But the truth was that he couldn’t silence the small voice that kept saying he didn’t deserve it. Even knowing how irrational it was, part of his brain kept telling him his parents’ deaths, on a night hunt that should have had nothing to do with him, had been his fault. And someone like that, the small voice said, didn’t deserve to be loved. He dreaded Lan Zhan asking him to explain this, as he felt it would mean Lan Zhan would realize he wasn’t worthy too.

But Lan Wangji didn’t ask him anything. He wrapped him up in his arms and held him tightly, only moving at all to stroke his hair. Wei Wuxian helplessly returned his embrace, sniffling just a little longer with his head against Wangji’s shoulder. Wangji’s arms were so strong. His back, under Wei Wuxian’s fingers, was like iron. Together with his soothing, natural omega scent of sandalwood and jasmine, only being held for a few moments made Wei Wuxian feel safe and secure to the depths of his heart. 

He squeezed Wangji tightly and thanked every force in the universe that had brought them together. “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?” he whispered, half joking.

But Lan Wangji’s romanticism hit a wall whenever he was asked to use hyperbole, even when it was to spare Wei Wuxian’s feelings. Somewhat surprised, he said simply, “Even if I wanted to, I have your bite mark.”

Wei Wuxian gave a fake – but not completely – sob. “Lan Zhan. Read the mood a little? I need promises of eternal love.”

With that, Lan Wangji pushed him back in order to lift up their bound hands and the white ribbon around them. “That is what this means,” Lan Wangji told him with soft sincerity. “The Lan Sect’s precepts forbid more than one love in a lifetime. Only that one person is permitted to touch the forehead ribbon. I have now told you and everyone we care about who will have my heart until I die.”

Wei Wuxian stared in wonder at the small piece of fabric that still tied their wrists together. He felt so filled with joy he could barely even breathe. And then suddenly, his brain began to grow foggy. He felt overly hot. He began to pant softly while unconsciously tugging at Wangji’s clothing. 

“Wei…” Wangji began, but then he shuddered and swayed slightly as he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He ducked his head into the hollow of Wei Wuxian’s neck, greedily taking in his scent even as Wei Wuxian grew unsteady on his feet. “Heat…” Wangji whispered.

“Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian gasped through clenched teeth. “Tie me up…”

Though Lan Wangji was almost as affected by Wei Wuxian’s pheromones as Wei Wuxian himself, he nodded dully. He took Wei Wuxian’s hand and led him to the bed. After shrugging off his upper clothing, he had him lie back and wrapped his forehead ribbon around both Wei Wuxian’s hands, then tied them to the headboard. 

“W-…won’t it…break?” Wei Wuxian asked, already having difficulty speaking. 

Wangji shook his head. “It’s a spiritual tool, imbued with my spiritual cognition. Don’t worry. I’m stronger than you, Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes fluttered as he relaxed against the bed, deeply reassured by these words. He was so in love with Lan Wangji that he was terrified of letting go completely and hurting him, but he knew what he said was true. Lan Wangji loved him, and his strength was enough for both of them. 

Lan Wangji looked down adoringly at Wei Wuxian’s bound and partially unclothed body, which was quickly beginning to fill the room with alpha pheromones. Though his facial expression remained hard to read, his eyes grew hazy with desire. Wei Wuxian’s heart seemed likely to crack open. How could Lan Wangji possibly get any more beautiful? 

He watched as, without taking his eyes of Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji began slowly and carefully to remove his wedding clothes and set them aside. Each item removed gave Wei Wuxian yet another beautiful image of Wangji to admire. When he was down to merely a red silk undergarment, Wei Wuxian almost regretted seeing it leave, as it was both beautiful and yet somehow forbidden. And then the undergarment fell away too, and Wei Wuxian remembered that no clothing could hope to hold a candle to the natural beauty of Lan Wangji.

When he was clothed, he gave the impression he was slender, almost waifish. But there was so little excess anywhere on his body, so much of him trained to perfection and hardly eating anything but greens, that in fact Wangji was incredibly solid. Wei Wuxian knew this from lifting him up; he weighed a good half again what he looked like he should. 

Wei Wuxian had trouble picking a favorite thing, but he loved his shoulders. The way the muscles created sweeping lines from his collarbones around his arms. His heart thrummed at the narrowness of Wangji’s waist, and the rippling of his muscles there as he moved. And though he especially loved seeing Lan Wangji’s ass presented high in front of him, there was nothing to hate about his large and somewhat formidable cock either. 

He hazily admired these things while unconsciously fighting against the forehead ribbon, his mouth watering. Once Wangji had finished undressing himself, he removed Wei Wuxian’s remaining clothes. Wei Wuxian moaned and shifted his hips hungrily at Wangji’s closeness, but there was little he could do. Just as Wangji said, the forehead ribbon kept him securely tied, even in his rut.

“Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian called him impatiently, even as Wangji straddled his hips.

“Mn. I’m putting it in,” Wangji assured him. 

“W-…wait!” Wei Wuxian begged with his last ounce of self-control. He swallowed hard, utterly rapt by the beautiful man sitting atop his waist, who had now sworn his heart to him forever. “Lan Wangji. I’m yours. I’ll love you until I die.”

A slight curve formed over Wangji’s lips, and he gave a small huff which could have been mistaken for a laugh. “Mn,” he said, and leaned down to place a kiss on Wei Wuxian’s lips. 

“Ah…no…mnh…I’ll bite you…” Wei Wuxian pleaded softly, but couldn’t stop from kissing him back.

“I like your bite,” Wangji told him against his lips.

“Ngh!” Wei Wuxian cried out, his cock dripping precum just at these words. 

Then, finally, Lan Wangji settled his hips down over his alpha’s rutting cock, pressing his tip smoothly inside his dripping hole. 

Wei Wuxian tried desperately to remain lucid long enough to avoid cumming just at the sensation of being accepted inside Lan Wangji’s dripping warmth. His head was utterly filled with the sensation, so much that he feared losing his mind. He had to look away, or the sight of Lan Wangji’s chest heaving with his breath, the pearls of sweat beginning to form on his porcelain skin, his smooth black hair dripping off his muscular shoulders, was likely to have a similar effect. Though there was nothing he could do to escape his rich omega scent filling the room, the weight and heat of his body, or the tantalizing noises that emerged from him.

Meanwhile, Lan Wangji seemed to be unusually struggling. His breath was coming in quick, sharp bursts. His eyes fluttered. His own cock, which had been half hard already just from Wei Wuxian’s pheromones, was now slightly pink and beginning to twitch upward and drip precum. He had stopped with Wei Wuxian’s cock only about halfway inside him, hesitating for some reason to take him all the way in. 

Just as Wei Wuxian was starting to get used to the sensation, Lan Wangji slid the rest of the way down, and suddenly they both jolted with an overpowering sensation. Wei Wuxian couldn’t stop; Lan Wangji was too much, and he started cumming the moment he was enveloped inside him. 

Lan Zhan threw back his head with a gasp. He twitched all over once, and he came as well onto Wei Wuxian’s chest. But then he let out a small noise of panic as the base of Wei Wuxian’s cock belatedly expanded while he was still cumming, locking Wangji into waves of pleasure the middle of his own orgasm. 

Lan Wangji had to lean back and hold onto Wei Wuxian’s legs for support as he trembled through the incredible sensations. Wei Wuxian couldn’t stop staring at his long and tempting neck, arched back and exposed as he endured Wei Wuxian filling him. Wei Wuxian didn’t notice he was bruising his own wrists in an attempt to break free of the forehead ribbon, nor that the wooden headboard was beginning to creak and pop behind him. 

There was nothing either of them could do for many long minutes as Wei Wuxian let out his full load inside Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian couldn’t stop cumming, and Wangji couldn’t move, even though he was clearly becoming more and more turned on just from feeling Wei Wuxian cum inside him. His stomach muscles rippled as he shifted back and forth, aching to feel Wei Wuxian move inside him again. 

Wei Wuxian’s memory finally went hazy at around this point, as he had satisfied his urge for the moment but his own love for Lan Wangji was sending hormones racing through his blood, telling his body not to stop until Wangji was pregnant. He was not very aware as he yanked hard one final time and broke apart the formerly beautiful carved headboard, sending wood chips and dust all over. 

The next thing either of them knew, Wei Wuxian turned Wangji around without removing him from his cock, sat up so they were both on their knees, looped his bound hands tightly around Lan Wangji’s body and sank his teeth into his nape.

“Wei Ying…” Lan Zhan gasped sweetly. “…it’s all right…don’t hold back.”

Wei Wuxian’s conscious mind barely registered this, but he still felt a warm glow just hearing Lan Wangji’s impassioned voice. With less immediate need now, he slowly and possessively dragged his rutting cock in and out of his love. It moved much more easily with Wei Wuxian’s copius cum now dripping softly from Wangji’s entrance and staining his legs. He gradually increased the pace, biting down and tasting deeply of Wangji’s perfect, sweet-smelling skin. 

Lan Zhan’s low voice began to rise in moans. “Ah…ahh…Wei…Ying…I want…I want…a child…”

Somewhere deep in his soul, Wei Wuxian felt filled with equal contentment and need, his love not even able to be drowned out by his heat. His hips thrust mercilessly up against Lan Wangji’s, determined he would not let him go until his seed was planted deep in the one he loved. 

“Good…Wei Ying…” Lan Zhan gasped.

Wei Wuxian was also letting out babbling moans against Wangji’s neck, but couldn’t articulate his thoughts even if he had any. 

“Ngh…ah…I…I can’t…” 

With that, Lan Zhan tensed all over and let loose a spurt of dilute cum, staining the sheets beneath him. Wei Wuxian groaned against his neck to feel his entrance clamping down on his cock with achingly pleasant twitches. He only thrust his hips up another two times before he too came again, grasping both Lan Wangji’s hips to make sure he had the right angle to fill his reproductive organs. 

With the sensation of being filled yet again, Wei Wuxian’s cock again widening inside him and warmth utterly filling him, Lan Wangji breathed hard for a moment and tried to object softly. “Wait…I’ll…”

His back arched and his head fell back against Wei Wuxian’s shoulder as he tensed through a prolonged orgasm that must have felt so good it was painful. His body shuddered several times and he made odd noises. Then the strength left it and he went limp in Wei Wuxian’s arms, having lost consciousness. 

Wei Wuxian lovingly held him even tighter. If he had been in his right mind, he would have worriedly tried to wake Lan Wangji to make sure he was all right. In his rutting dazedness, he softly brought Lan Wangji down to his side, curling up behind him while he was still deeply knotted inside him. He lovingly caressed Lan Wangji’s stomach, even as he could feel the impact of his own cum slowly filling him. He reluctantly released his bite on his neck to instead taste and kiss him deeply there, and stayed just like this until Wangji woke moments later with a gasp.

He panted in a mild panic for a moment before he became soothed by Wei Wuxian’s kisses against his neck. His body relaxed and he reached back to weave his fingers into Wei Wuxian’s hair, squeezing down affectionately. He closed his eyes with a subtle expression of bliss. 

“Wei Ying…love you…”

Wei Wuxian nuzzled his neck and tightened his arms around him. 

“Don’t worry. You can keep going,” Lan Zhan murmured softly. 

In actual fact, Wei Wuxian had no idea how many times he utterly drained himself inside Lan Wangji that night, but by the end of it, he was a wreck. Lan Wangji was surprisingly fine. Though Wei Wuxian noted with self-disgust the copious bite marks on his formerly pristine back the next day. 

Indeed, instead of being battered by Wei Wuxian’s treatment, Lan Wangji seemed more serene that Wei Wuxian had ever seen him on that first lazy morning they spent together. They held one another for almost an hour after Wei Wuxian woke, not speaking, just watching and lightly touching each other. Wei Wuxian nearly cried once again just at the way the sunlight hit Lan Wangji’s face. He realized his heart was even more struck by how much he loved him when he remembered why he was missing his forehead ribbon, currently still tied around Wei Wuxian’s wrists. 

“Ow,” he said with a grin when he finally noticed the pain there. 

Lan Wangji noticed and reached down to untie the knot. After wrapping the ribbon around his palm for the moment, he fretfully took hold of one of Wei Wuxian’s wrists and then the other, examining the purple skin and even spots of blood from Wei Wuxian unconsciously trying to free himself to fuck Lan Wangji even harder last night. 

“Ah…ha ha…my own fault. Don’t worry about that, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Wangji let out a displeased huff. “I will devise another method.”

“Aw, but I really love being all bound up in your love,” Wei Wuxian answered back playfully. 

Lan Zhan glanced up at him with a hint of concern. “That…” he said, and simply gathered Wei Wuxian into his arms, holding his head against his chest. “…you can have any time. Without injury.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled and gratefully wound his body against his new husband’s. “Come to think of it, if I’m the one coming out the worse for the wear when it’s my turn, I wonder how we’ll both do with yours,” he said, jokingly. “Think you’ll do me instead? Ha ha.”

“Mn.”

“…Eh?”

…

Though the first three days of marriage were meant to include daily visits to Lan Wangji’s family, the two barely moved from their bed in the majority of that time. Indeed they were only forced out by Wei Wuxian’s hunger, which wasn’t particularly sated by the Lan fare anyway, it must be said. 

Their married life together was not entirely smooth sailing, but each day was an adventure of which neither ever grew tired. Wei Wuxian’s smiles filled Lan Wangji’s heart with sunlight, and Lan Wangji’s stability and grace made him the constant apple of Wei Wuxian’s eye. Roughly three months later, Lan Wangji let Wei Wuxian know in a way typical of him that there was some even happier news for them to look forward to.

As they sat at dinner that night, together with Zewu-jun as they frequently did, Lan Wangji finished his food more quickly than usual but waited for the other two to do so as well before he spoke. The moment Zewu-jun put down his chopsticks, Lan Wangji turned to him and said, “Xiong-zhang. I would like permission to renovate a portion of the estate.”

Lan Xichen blinked at his younger brother in confusion. “Oh…? This is unusual. And what did you have in mind?”

“Mn,” Wei Wuxian joined in, taking a sip of wine that he normally had with dinner. “Yeah, you haven’t told me about this either. You want a new wing of the library or something?”

Wangji’s eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks, almost as if he were bashful. But there was joy edging the corners of his mouth. “A bedroom.”

“…bedroom?” Wei Wuxian asked with gathering suspicion. “Wait…Lan Zhan…you haven’t…are you cheating on me?!”

“Wangji…are you sure?” Zewu-jun asked softly, gazing at Lan Wangji in both wonder and slight worry.

Wangji looked up at him. He nodded once. 

Zewu-jun took in a shaking breath, and after a moment looked as if he might cry. He graced Lan Wangji with an achingly happy smile. He even grasped his brother’s hand. “Congratulations,” he whispered.

“What congratulations?! Are you Lan really so forgiving of adultery?!” Wei Wuxian squeaked helplessly, absolutely certain that he was not enough alpha for Lan Wangji, who needed another to fill in the gaps.

Xichen chuckled. “And congratulations to you too, Master Wei.”

“What did I do now?!”

Lan Wangji did not explain, but merely took Wei Wuxian’s hand. He crossed it over his own stomach and pressed it softly there. He glanced up to see if Wei Wuxian had understood yet.

Wei Wuxian meanwhile seemed to be going through a minor existential crisis. His whole body seemed locked in disbelief as he realized what his lovely husband must mean by resting his hand over his stomach. But it couldn’t be true. This was too much good luck and there must be a storm or disaster coming for him. It couldn’t be that he was about to have a child with the man he loved. 

As if to finally break his heart to pieces with joy, he realized Lan Wangji’s face had broken out into one of his extremely rare smiles. Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, was already starting to cry. 

“…really…?” he whispered, his eyes filling up with tears like a lost child.

Lan Wangji nodded. 

Wei Wuxian felt completely at a loss. He collapsed onto his knees beside Lan Wangji, grasping him around his legs to avoid any possibility of harming his precious self. “What do I do with you? I thought I couldn’t love you any more…now you make me love you twice as much…? Are you trying to kill me, Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji merely stroked Wei Wuxian’s hair, but Wei Wuxian could almost feel him smiling again. 

…

Wei Wuxian hardly left Lan Zhan’s side for a moment after he told him the news. For the first couple of months, he absorbed parenting books like they were Emperor’s Smile. Once Lan Wangji started to show, he became glued to him and even sometimes expressed anxiety at being separated. He started getting a little irrational about Wangji doing anything “dangerous,” like for example reaching a book on a high shelf. By the six month mark, he had become settled into a method of devotion that was almost oppressive.

One afternoon, Lan Wangji was simply attempting to descend the stairs when Wei Wuxian swept out in front of him and asked him where he was going, and why he hadn’t asked Wei Wuxian to get whatever it was for him. Lan Wangji sighed, but in fact the growing weight in his belly was simply decreasing his patience for arguing with his husband. He told him flatly that Wei Wuxian would not know how to look for the book he wanted from the basement library. 

“Okay then,” Wei Wuxian said merrily, and without a word he scooped his pregnant husband into his arms. He had already started descending the stairs before Lan Wangji was able to voice an objection. 

“This…” Wangji sighed, his ears feeling hot with embarrassment. He desperately hoped neither his brother nor any disciples were milling about the estate at the moment. “There is nothing wrong with my legs. On the contrary, this seems more dangerous.”

“How can it be more dangerous? This way I’ll be here to break your fall.”

“I would not fall.”

“Well now I’ll be here to catch you anyway.”

Lan Wangji sighed again, but reluctantly he had to admit that he was never unhappy to be held by Wei Wuxian. Also, he would never tell him this as it seemed like a very minor complaint, but his ankles had actually started aching recently. 

Under Lan Wangji’s guidance, Wei Wuxian brought him to the area of the book he was looking for and even patiently held him as he made sure it was what he wanted. He set him down on a divan to lie back to read, and then somehow contorted himself in such a way that he could press his cheek to Lan Wangji’s belly while making his lower body into a rest for Wangji’s feet. He grinned up at Wangji like a delighted child and made comfortable noises as he snuggled up to him to hold him as he read.

Wangji had a brief thought that this experience would be a little like having two children rather than one. And yet the idea seemed quite appealing. He rewarded Wei Wuxian’s care with a few strokes of his hair, and left his hand resting there as he read for another hour.

Once he finished, he realized Wei Wuxian had at some point fallen asleep on his belly. He was perfectly happy to let him continue, but his small movement had already woken his doting husband. Wei Wuxian yawned widely and stretched like a cat. He looked up at Wangji with as much joy as the very first time Wangji had agreed to go out with him. 

“All done?” he asked him.

“Mn.”

“Where to now, my prince?” he asked, folding his hands over Wangji’s belly and blinking up cutely at him.

Wangji looked away, feeling almost guilty. “…you can do what you like.”

“I like to take care of you,” the adorable man said immediately.

Even though he was growing tired of arguing the same point, Wangji hesitated to agree. In his view, Wei Wuxian was the one who had self-sacrificial tendencies, and the one who needed reassurance that he was loved. At the same time, the silence-loving and anti-social Wangji felt more warm and fulfilled each day as he felt their child growing inside him. There was nothing about their life together over which he was not content. 

Wangji raised a hand to stroke Wei Wuxian’s cheek affectionately, his heart fluttering at the sweet way Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and leaned into his touch. 

“Shall we take a bath together then?” Wangji proposed softly.

“I’ll bathe you,” Wei Wuxian said immediately with enthusiasm. 

Wangji sighed a little, but realized he was fighting a losing battle. He allowed Wei Wuxian to carry him back to his room, set him down on his feet in order to start the bath running, and in the mean time began merrily undressing Lan Wangji. 

After he had undressed him, he barely even admired his naked body, now with its noticeable bump, before taking up a hair brush. He leaned in and kissed Wangji’s forehead as he slipped off his forehead ribbon. Even after publicly presenting it to Wei Wuxian, Wangji’s heart still skipped whenever he touched it. Wei Wuxian slipped the item around his wrist as he conscientiously set about gently brushing Wangji’s hair.

Of course, Wangji was fastidious and hardly needed it, but Wei Wuxian’s touch made his heart ache with happiness. He felt his eyes fluttering closed in soothed contentment as the brush reached his scalp and did manage to find a few tangles from the way his pregnancy had increased the sweat on the back of his neck. Even though he was standing, it felt so good it was hard to stay awake. 

Wei Wuxian noticed and set the brush aside to run his fingers through Wangji’s hair instead. If anything, this felt even better, but he only did it for a moment. The bath was ready, so he led Wangji there and carefully helped him in. The water was just the right temperature, and Wei Wuxian had added something sweet-smelling. Bergamot, Wangji thought. He was about to relax into it when he realized Wei Wuxian was still dressed as he knelt beside the bath, rolling up his sleeves.

“Why are you still dressed?” Wangji asked him. 

“I’ll get in later. If I get undressed now, I’ll be cold!” Wei Wuxian said with a chuckle. He had already produced another jar of something pleasant-smelling and was taking a small amount in his hand. 

“…what’s that?”

“Well, all the books say you should be starting to get a lot of aches and pains by now. I know you’re tough as nails but just humor me,” Wei Wuxian said immediately, sensing Wangji was about to contradict him. “So they say massage can help with circulation, stress, lymph nodes, all that. I asked a friend and she said this is even better.”

“…but what is it?”

“Sugar scrub. She said it’s a little rough but it gets out all the aches and pains and even makes your skin feel nice. Don’t want it?”

Wangji hesitated because it seemed quite excessive for him. But he was touched at Wei Wuxian’s thoughtfulness. And he was suddenly aware of exactly how many little places of his body hurt. “…want,” he mumbled.

“He he,” Wei Wuxian giggled.

He had him sit up on his knees first, saying it would be easier to relax after his upper body was done. Wei Wuxian gathered Wangji’s lustrous hair and shifted it over his shoulder to expose his back. He rubbed in the rather rough but sweet and exfoliating scrub over every inch of Wangji’s back, not hurrying for a moment. Wangji felt a tension he hadn’t known he’d been holding slowly work its way out of him. 

He was a little embarrassed, but reassured by the seriousness of Wei Wuxian’s expression, as he went lower and also scrubbed his ass, and even the top of his thighs. Next his waist on either side, and up his ribs. He moved to Wangji’s front, brushing his hair back again, and began high on his neck, massaging down as he went. It felt so good that Wangji was starting to feel oddly worried. Was it all right to feel this way from simple bathing? 

Wei Wuxian hesitated a little, gazing at Wangji’s belly. His expression was difficult to judge, but he seemed equally overjoyed as he was filled with anxiety. Before continuing his massage there, he placed a kiss on Wangji’s skin there. 

His massage was so thorough, from Wangji’s neck all the way to his fingers and toes, he did not even neglect the slightly sore insides of Wangji’s thighs, which he claimed were especially prone to pains from lack of circulation. Once Wangji had been massaged into a puddle and leaned back in the tub, letting the sugar melt off his body, he thought Wei Wuxian was done and would finally get in with him. Instead, next he carefully washed his hair. Almost everything else in the world but Wei Wuxian’s fingers faded from Wangji’s mind. 

Finally, he was nearly asleep by the time he felt Wei Wuxian’s hands guide his back up a little so he could slip in beside him and hold him from behind. Wangji really had to struggle to stay awake, and only his desire not to miss a moment of his devoted husband’s love kept him awake. He squeezed Wei Wuxian’s hands and even rested them both over his stomach. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Wei Wuxian whispered, quiet enough that he might have been trying not to wake Wangji if he were sleeping. “How should we name them?”

“…I have a courtesy name in mind,” Wangji replied at a similar volume, not wanting to disturb the beautiful atmosphere of this moment.

“Oh! I should have expected of the good student. And so?”

Wangji grew a little hesitant, as he knew he lacked imagination and Wei Wuxian had mocked him on the subject before. He was confident in this name, and precisely for that reason, he did not want Wei Wuxian to dislike it. 

“…Sizhui.” After a moment, he added for clarity, “‘Thought’ and ‘pursuit.’”

Wei Wuxian took in a deep breath, and stroked Wangji’s stomach gently. “Sizhui,” he repeated, even more softly than before. Wangji heard him chuckle a little in his ear. “They’ll be smart and deep like you. What about a given name then?”

“…you should choose.”

Wei Wuxian grew silent, playfully grasping the ends of Wangji’s hair and swirling them around in the water. 

“Do not play during bathing.”

“Don’t we always play during bathing?”

“…that is different.”

Wei Wuxian huffed disappointedly, but seemed happy enough to simply embrace Wangji again as he considered. “I always liked the name ‘Yuan.’ Isn’t it cute? Little A-Yuan. Yuan-er. He he. What’s a good character though? ‘Park’ is nice.”

Immediately another option occurred to Wangji, but he feared Wei Wuxian would find it overly simple. But as Wei Wuxian’s fingers wove through his own and squeezed them with affection, clearly asking nothing in return, he decided to try. 

“ ‘Hope.’”

Wei Wuxian was silent at first. His grasp on Wangji’s hands tightened. Wangji looked back curiously as Wei Wuxian sniffed a little. 

“Please stop making me love you more. It’s getting ridiculous.”

Wangji frowned. “…that sounds difficult.”

“Get over yourself,” Wei Wuxian said, laughing. He stroked his belly once more and said in a tiny voice, “A-Yuan! Sizhui! Come out and play soon! I’ll spoil you rotten!”

Wangji cast an affectionate gaze up to his husband. He shifted his head to place a kiss on his cheek. “Then I suppose I should spoil you.”

“…Lan Zhan…I knew you were a player.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	6. Red Wine Stain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xichen discovers that Meng Yao is deeply in love with someone. Believing it to be himself, he indulges in what seems to be Meng Yao's desire for him, but realizes he was badly mistaken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Although it is definitely consensual, there is a non-con feel to this chapter. Also blood (but I promise he *will be* fine).

After several weeks of simply getting increasingly more irritable and taciturn, it was finally Lan Wangji’s time. Wei Wuxian was white as a sheet as Wangji entered the dining room that morning with fluid streaking his legs and sweat beading his brow. He only said two words, “It’s here.” 

As Xichen drove them to the hospital, Wei Wuxian willingly letting Wangji squeeze his hand during his contractions even as Wangji’s strength inadvertently tested that of the bones in Wei Wuxian’s hand. And then Xichen had to let them go on alone, despite his worry for the young couple, because his presence would only be a distraction in the delivery room. He sighed heavily as he took a seat in the waiting room. 

Fortunately, he was soon joined by both his uncle and Wei Wuxian’s siblings, so at least he didn’t have to worry alone. He and Jiang Cheng still often avoided eye contact, even though they both sensed that this was not the time for social awkwardness.

“Zewu-jun,” Jiang Yanli said, bowing respectfully. Xichen stood and returned the gesture. “Has there been any news?” 

He gestured for her to sit across from him, along with Jiang Cheng, while his uncle sat beside him. “Only that Wangji was already very close when we arrived.” He took in and let out a difficult breath. “I must admit, it was unnerving seeing my brother’s face in pain. Normally he can endure almost anything without a break in his expression.” He held back from adding that births for male omegas carried inherent risks that there was no way to avoid.

He was touched when Jiang Yanli leaned forward to clasp his hand. “If anyone can do this, it is Hanguang-jun,” she said gently.

Xichen’s expression softened and he gave a grateful smile. 

Though the four did attempt some small talk to pass the time, in truth they had very little in common, and conversation tended to become isolated into the two families. Jiang Cheng got up frequently to pace, looking nervously toward the delivery rooms and muttering about how useless Wei Wuxian would be as a father. Lan Qiren soon sat back in silent – if worriedly frowning – meditation. Jiang Yanli was courteous enough to stay alert in case Xichen wanted to talk, but he didn’t really know her well enough to entrust such intimate feelings to her. 

Several hours later, an unexpected visitor arrived. A young beta in service of Xichen’s best friend, and one who just seeing his face was able to instantly part the clouds in Xichen’s heart. He lifted his head and couldn’t help a small smile. “Meng Yao,” he said with softly restrained joy and relief.

Meng Yao had been nervously looking around the waiting room when he caught the soft sound of Xichen’s voice. He quickly came over, bowing. Xichen stood and clasped his hands to deny the necessity of the gesture.

“Zewu-jun,” said the delicate young man, regretfully. “I’m sorry it’s just me. Clan Leader Nie wanted to be here but couldn’t get away.”

Xichen’s insides melted with such humble concern for him. “A-Yao, don’t be silly. I’m very grateful you’re here.”

“Has there been any news?”

Xichen shook his head. “No. And now it’s been almost three hours. They told us he was nearly dilated when we arrived, so I assumed the rest would happen quickly, but…” He trailed off as the worry that had been rising up in his throat all this time finally reached his lips. He let out a shaking breath, lowering his head. “A-Yao. There are so many complications with male omega births. If Wangji were to…”

Meng Yao did not wait for Xichen to explain and clasped his shoulders in an unusually bold gesture for him. He shook his head firmly. “No such thing will happen to Hanguang-jun. You must not think about it another moment. Come and sit with me.”

Xichen gratefully accepted, bowing briefly to Jiang Yanli to excuse himself, and let Meng Yao attempt to distract him, in a small corner of the waiting room that was mercifully dark and quiet. They talked about all sorts of things, but Xichen’s mind couldn’t focus very well on any one of them. He was so tired and worried that he even brought up things he probably shouldn’t. 

“Things are still awkward with Jiang Wanyin as well,” he said softly, rubbing his temple where he was starting to feel a tension headache growing. 

“Is that so? This is my first time hearing of it,” Meng Yao replied with concern.

“Ah…” Xichen awkwardly only just now realized he had not told Nie Mingjue about the incident, so there was no way for Meng Yao to know. And now that he had mentioned Jiang Cheng’s name, there was no way to be delicate about the matter either. “Forgive me. I should not have mentioned it.”

“Zewu-jun…anything you say now can be attributed to stress and worry for your brother. I promise, it will go in one ear and out the other. If it will unburden you, please trust that it will go no further.”

Xichen felt so moved by these words that he instinctively wished to hold Meng Yao. Xichen did not lack in life for people who cared about him, he believed, but such open concern for his welfare and prioritizing of his feelings was something he had almost never experienced. It even made his eyes sting a little. He reluctantly let the tension slip from his back, hanging his head. He recounted some of the broader circumstances of what had happened.

Meng Yao listened with remarkable patience and a lack of judgment, and instantly Xichen was grateful that he had been able to open up to someone about it. But at one point, when Xichen briefly mentioned the attraction he had felt toward Jiang Wanyin, he thought Meng Yao’s patient expression briefly froze. The delicate young man cast his gaze down for a few moments after that, his lips parted in an expression Xichen couldn’t read. But moments later it was gone and he continued listening as before. 

“I see,” Meng Yao said as he finished. “And so your feelings for him…persist?”

“Eh?” Xichen blinked in surprise. “I…hadn’t really thought about it.”

He intended to leave the matter there, but Meng Yao’s expression said that was not a satisfactory answer. He reluctantly considered.

“I feel…many things for him,” Xichen explained with difficulty. And then he felt himself growing stuck again when he had to make a decision one way or the other. He shook his head sadly. “Perhaps I simply have too little experience to know. Perhaps if…if he hadn’t been the first…”

Meng Yao sat rigidly without moving, only his eyes widened minimally. “…first…?” he repeated with almost no volume.

Xichen blushed, chuckling slightly as he tried to deflect from the embarrassment of what he had just revealed. “At my age, I know. But I really never felt that kind of desire for anyone before. At least, no one who was willing to…” He swallowed and held back from finishing that sentence. “It is also difficult in that I fear Wanyin struggles with some internalized prejudice. It is hard to know his true feelings about me as well.”

“No one asked what his feelings were,” Meng Yao muttered in a rare open show of aggression. 

Xichen glanced at him in surprise before Meng Yao closed his eyes to steady himself and began again. “Zewu-jun. You should not let others’ feelings for you dictate what your own should be. It is not simple, I admit, but it is a matter of your own heart and nothing else.”

Xichen appreciated Meng Yao’s honesty and his quick appraisal of the situation that Xichen had allowed to drag out for nearly a year now. But still, he had to agree that it was not easy. 

“If I were in love, I should know it. Isn’t that so?”

Meng Yao shook his head. “Not necessarily. It’s human nature to deny feelings we find uncomfortable, for whatever reason.” His eyes slowly shifted toward Jiang Cheng, pacing in a distant part of the waiting room. As Meng Yao watched him, there was no emotion in his face at all. He closed his eyes to consider once again. “To my eye it is entirely possible that Young Master Jiang shares your feelings, but may be unwilling to accept them. Not to tell him risks both your unhappiness. But to tell him risks an adverse reaction, to say the least.”

Xichen had thought this himself more than once. He nodded. “To be honest, I almost hope it isn’t love.”

Meng Yao’s expression again became hard to read as he watched Xichen. “…why do you say that?”

“If this is love, well…I suppose it just wasn’t what I was expecting,” Xichen murmured. Meng Yao slowly took this in and eventually nodded in understanding. “A-Yao…have you ever been in love?” Xichen asked, without thinking deeply.

When Meng Yao’s normally controlled expression took on a hint of panic, Xichen quickly realized how inappropriate the question was. 

“Oh…no…” he backtracked quickly. “I only meant, perhaps if you knew, you could tell me what it felt like.”

Meng Yao fell silent, his eyes cast down, and Xichen worried that he had offended him too much to continue the conversation. But with a steadying breath, determination reached his face and he spoke up softly. 

“If you’re thinking it’s something pleasant, it isn’t.”

With this small utterance, Xichen’s chest suddenly felt caved in. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when he asked that question, but he was sure this wasn’t what he wanted to hear. To realize that not only had Meng Yao been in love before, but that it caused him visible pain, made Xichen feel somehow lost. 

“Just looking at their face is painful,” Meng Yao continued, his gaze distant, and it was clear there were no half-truths in his words. “It makes you afraid to be around them. But it’s like a drug, you can’t stop thinking about them no matter how hard you try. Because it’s not just pain. Because sometimes their smile makes you feel euphoric bliss, in a way nothing else can. Your emotions become swayed by their slightest action. It makes you irrational and brings out the worst side of you, yet makes you want to be better than you’ve ever been. In short, it is agony. I do not recommend it.”

Xichen listened to all of this as if he could feel it himself, all the while a question building from deep in a dark corner of his heart. “A-Yao,” Xichen asked softly, unable to help himself. “Are you in love now?”

Meng Yao shifted his jaw in a subtle expression of discomfort, possibly even irritation. He nodded.

Xichen almost felt as if Meng Yao had struck him. Unable to completely hide the betrayal from his face, he began against his better judgment, “…who-“

“Everybody!” cried Wei Wuxian, bursting into the waiting room and sporting a bruised, purple hand. “We’ve got a baby! Oh shit, I’m a father!” he exclaimed with a preposterous laugh, as if just realizing it himself. 

Jiang Cheng shocked everyone by nearly tackling Wei Wuxian in a hug. Yanli soon joined them and the Jiang siblings all laughed and cried even as they hugged and congratulated Wei Wuxian. Even though Lan Qiren cleared his throat a little at all the noise, even he offered a small smile at the visible joy in his nephew-in-law. 

And Xichen’s last question became lost in the flurry of activity after that. Lan Wangji had suffered no serious complications and, though clearly exhausted, refused to be parted from Lan Yuan even when the nurses suggested they could both use the rest. Once he had dragged everyone in for a quick look, Wei Wuxian too curled up beside his two greatest loves, and while their families remained quietly and happily talking around them, the two new fathers and their child all fell into a peaceful sleep.

It was several minutes later, as the families quietly left to let them rest, that Lan Xichen noticed Meng Yao seemed either to have left almost immediately or never entered the delivery room at all, as there was no sign of him. He later heard, from Nie Mingjue, that he had gotten Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s permission to take a photo for him, which he had sent to Mingjue and then left immediately afterward. Xichen wondered if he had made him very unhappy with his excessive personal questions. Did Meng Yao resent him? Or did he simply think him naïve and untrustworthy?

…

Several days later, Nie Mingjue finally got a day off work and offered to treat Lan Xichen to dinner to celebrate his becoming an uncle. Xichen found it a little strange to be invited alone for such a reason, but he was aware Mingjue could only stand Wei Wuxian in small doses. And though he liked Wangji, the two could not maintain a conversation of more than a few words. 

So Xichen went alone to the Nie estate, sitting down to dinner with the two brothers. Meng Yao was present too, and began serving drinks, only doing so for a few seconds before the other three all told him he was being silly and forced him to sit down. As Nie Huaisang was already seated beside his brother at the four person table, the only place to sit was next to Lan Xichen. 

Xichen smiled cautiously down at him as he sat, partly as a greeting and partly testing the waters to see whether he might be offended from last time. Meng Yao didn’t quite meet his gaze but did bow his head politely and didn’t seem displeased to be sitting next to him. But, though Xichen might have imagined it, he thought Meng Yao looked a bit flushed.

He soon realized it was not his imagination. “A-Yao,” Mingjue said at one point, looking down imperiously over his cup of wine toward Meng Yao. “You’ve been looking peaky all afternoon. Eat something.”

Meng Yao nodded and began to eat without argument. Once he had swallowed a bite, Xichen asked him gently, “If you’re not well, should you rest? Please don’t feel the need to stand on ceremony.”

But the color of Meng Yao’s cheeks only seemed to worsen at Xichen’s suggestion, his brows twitching together in seeming frustration. A moment later though, he managed to wipe the expression away and offered Xichen a reassuring smile. 

“Forgive me. I’m not ill, I was just lost in thought. Perhaps I’ve been staying up too late recently.”

Nie Huaisang nodded sympathetically. “How do you always do my-“ He gasped and glanced hurriedly at his elder brother before amending myself, “Ehem…help me with my homework each night and then get up before Da-Ge in the mornings?”

Xichen blinked in surprise. “Mingjue-ge…don’t you wake before six?”

Mingjue nodded over his wine. “Breakfast by six, at the latest. I don’t like to hurry in the mornings.”

“…does A-Yao prepare your breakfast?” Xichen asked softly, only belatedly realizing his tone sounded accusatory. 

But if it was, Mingjue was not sensitive enough to notice it. “Most days, I suppose.”

Xichen took a breath to say something even more directly accusatory when Meng Yao grasped his arm under the table. “Zewu-jun,” he whispered. “He’s already had a few tonight and he won’t appreciate any criticism.”

Xichen felt anger slowly building inside his gut. He cared for everyone in this room and had never been quick to anger to start with, but whatever Meng Yao’s status, asking him to give up sleep on a daily basis seemed downright cruel. But as Xichen was contemplating the best way to handle the situation, he suddenly felt lightheaded. He even started feeling warm. The feeling was pleasant and so at first he merely felt he should drop the matter and return to enjoying a rare peaceful dinner with his friends. 

He was able to carry on conversation normally, and even felt much better than before. He did feel his gaze drawn more and more to Meng Yao throughout the evening, until he wondered idly if his staring was noticeable. He couldn’t help but remark on the delicacy of Meng Yao’s hands, not only as they moved but also as they often hovered gracefully just before taking an action. 

At one point, Xichen was treated to a visual feast as Meng Yao’s elegant hand reached up and hovered before his wine glass, lightly caressed the stem as if appreciating the coldness of the glass. His fingers curled around the stem and slid up to the bowl, only holding it with his first two and thumb, so the other two fingers hung down airily. He brought the glass up to his lips. Xichen’s heart pounded to see the glass rest against Meng Yao’s soft lower lip, the blood red wine pouring over them and giving the inner edges a warm and enticing stain. And finally the softly audible swallow and subtle swell of his Adam’s apple.

“Xichen,” came Mingjue’s harsh voice, thankfully drawing him from his reverie. “It’s getting late and you look exhausted. Stay here tonight. Meng Yao will make you up a room.”

Xichen’s heart skipped, then he felt as if it were pumping directly beneath his throat. His eyes subtly held Meng Yao’s slender legs in their periphery, under the table beside his own. Why did it feel like agreeing to such an offer would be somehow licentious? Would Meng Yao think ill of him?

Slowly, Meng Yao turned slightly toward him. He flicked his gaze up curiously to Xichen’s, and Xichen was sure he could feel tension in the air between them. Cautiously, Meng Yao asked, in a voice that seemed to have a direct line to Xichen’s heart, “Will you stay tonight, Zewu-jun?”

A part of Xichen was aware that he should not, but couldn’t conjure the reason why. Wangji and Wei Wuxian shouldn’t need anything, they had each other and Lan Qiren was only in the next house over. He didn’t have work the next day. He knew those weren’t the reasons, but his brain seemed to be willingly shutting out the only one that did matter. So in the end, he only nodded meekly. 

He followed Meng Yao to one of Nie Mingjue’s spare rooms as if pulled on a string. He didn’t even want to let Meng Yao out of his sight for a moment. He realized the warm feeling emanated from him, and only when it was too late did he realize it was specifically his scent. He knew Meng Yao was a beta. But for some reason, tonight he could have sworn he had been sitting next to an omega all evening. Otherwise it was hard to explain his body’s reaction. What should he do?

Meng Yao opened the window to let some air into the room, pulled back the covers of the bed and fluffed the pillows, all while Xichen stood by speechless as he wondered what he could possibly do about the way he was feeling. Even if Meng Yao left now, he was worried he would not be able to stop from following him. But as Meng Yao finished his tasks, Xichen noticed his hands were trembling. He almost seemed on the verge of crying. 

“Xichen-ge…” he murmured softly, with a weakness Xichen had never heard in his voice. “I…the truth is, I…have to tell you something…”

At this point, Xichen slightly jumped the gun. Before waiting for Meng Yao to finish what seemed to be a painful confession, Xichen chose to believe the most convenient interpretation for him. He strode across the room and clasped Meng Yao tightly in his arms.

A soft gasp. “X-…Xichen-ge…” Meng Yao whispered breathlessly, seeming too shocked to voice his words properly.

Xichen could not respond. He was overwhelmed with care for this small and delicate creature in his arms. Though he had never been tempted by an omega before and didn’t know what it felt like, he sank deeply into the scent emanating from Meng Yao. It was all he could do not to kiss him endlessly, and to hold himself back, he indulged in the painfully pleasant sensation of holding A-Yao tight to him.

Meng Yao sniffed a little. “I’m sorry, Xichen-ge,” he whispered.

“…why…?” Xichen was able to ask absently, though the only thing he cared about in this moment was how to get somehow even closer to this sweet person. 

Meng Yao shook his head, unable to answer the question. Instead, he sent a thrill up Xichen’s spine by wrapping his small hands around Xichen’s much larger arm. “I’ll do whatever you want in the morning. Castrate or hang myself. So tonight…please let me pretend. Just once. I swear I’ll never ask again.”

Xichen’s brain couldn’t process most of these frantically spoken words. All he could gather was that Meng Yao needed comfort. He longed so badly to give him that. He leaned down without loosening his grasp, nuzzling Meng Yao’s hair and inhaling of the scent of the back of his neck. Even though his mouth was already watering, hungering to bite, he shifted his head and instead placed a searching kiss at the top of Meng Yao’s cheek. 

A-Yao let out a shivering sigh, biting his lip and really seeming likely to cry. Xichen gathered that more was needed. He placed another kiss on Meng Yao’s high, beautiful cheekbone. He moved up toward the corner of his eye, silently urging with a slow and gentle press of his lips for Meng Yao not to cry. He clasped the sweet young man’s face in both his hands, bestowing soft kisses on nearly every part of his face. Though he could see twin streaks of silver reflected in Meng Yao’s cheeks in the low light from outside, he felt those small, perfect hands clasp over his own, encouraging his touch. 

Meng Yao’s scent was making Xichen’s head spin. His skin was so soft and smooth to the touch, his body heat so comforting. And the shuddering breaths that escaped him repeatedly sent thrills up Xichen’s spine. At around this time, Xichen’s logic shut down completely. 

He took Meng Yao’s small body by his arms and half lifted, half pushed him down onto the bed. That was where he should be, his raging hormones told him. He felt his cock twitch at the sight of Meng Yao’s hair spread out beneath him, his clothes already partly torn by Xichen’s grasp, his eyes slowly filling with the same desire that Xichen felt, and still a trace of tempting red on his parted lips from the wine.

Slowly, almost fearfully, Xichen leaned down over him. The front half of his body, and everywhere he felt Meng Yao beneath him, seemed to be burning with desire to touch and be touched. Most of all, he wanted to claim the entire space inside Meng Yao’s mouth for his own. He already felt so much pleasure just from being in his presence. How would it feel to taste of his mouth?

Meng Yao’s breathing rose almost to a panic the closer Xichen drew to him, but he did not object. Finally, and now Xichen understood very well why Jiang Cheng had done this to him, he gave in to his desire, clasped Meng Yao’s face in his hands, and tried to taste every part of Meng Yao’s mouth.

The smaller man gasped as Xichen’s tongue met his own, their lips just lightly brushing together. But as it caressed the roof of his mouth and then slowly dragged out again, Meng Yao let out a strangled cry, panting loudly afterward. Xichen had wanted to do more gentle teasing, but that noise lit a fire inside him. 

Before he knew what was happening, he had grasped Meng Yao’s tiny waist in the circle of his arms, slightly lifting him from the bed as he kissed him with all his twenty-six years of pent up desire. Meng Yao adorably continued making noises of desperation as if he could not quite cope with what was happening. His trembling fingers halfheartedly attempted to squeeze down on Xichen’s shoulders and arms, but it was clear that with their difference in strength, he would be unable to object to whatever Xichen wanted tonight. 

Xichen’s hands clumsily tore at Meng Yao’s clothing, effortlessly making it into rags in mere moments. Even Meng Yao’s slightly fearful gasps as he did this excited him. He buried his face in the hollow of Meng Yao’s graceful neck, admiring both its scent and the elegant lines leaning from his collarbone to his nape. As his fingers explored the newly exposed skin of this precious creature’s small, warm body, he lightly sank his teeth into the skin 

“Ohhh…” Meng Yao moaned in a voice that nearly made Xichen cum just from that. “X-…Xichen-ge…” he tried weakly to object. “I’m…not an omega…”

Though Xichen’s rattled alpha brain felt some deep disappointment to be told this, he also felt relief as he only just now realized he had bitten someone without thinking about it. 

“So…you can bite…as much as you want…”

Xichen’s cock ached painfully with desire that roared through him. His jaws were already opening. He wrapped his arms around Meng Yao and bit deeply into his neck, not caring that he couldn’t reach his nape from this angle. 

Meng Yao let out a deep gasp, his trembling fingers clinging to Xichen’s back helplessly. Xichen kept him pinned, his teeth tasting iron, until his instinct to bite was at least momentarily satisfied. Even when the worst of the desire passed, he could only taste and nip all over the parts of Meng Yao’s neck that he could reach, forcefully moving Meng Yao’s chin aside in either direction in order to reach every part of his neck with his mouth. 

As he indulged in this tantalizing licking and biting, his hands moved all on their own, exploring every crevice of Meng Yao’s body. He was perfect. He was not taught or muscular like most cultivators, but supple and even a little soft in some parts, giving his body an overall androgynous feel. Xichen adored the sensation of Meng Yao’s smooth skin under his fingers, especially his somewhat wide hips and round bottom, which seemed specifically designed for Xichen to grasp onto. 

He couldn’t stop from curving his fingers up the valley between those tempting curves. Meng Yao flinched and gasped again as Xichen’s finger brushed his entrance. Xichen could not help wondering whether any other alpha had touched him here before. He was happy to massage the area for him, appreciating Meng Yao’s continued gasps and soft moans, until he tried to press his finger through the tight hole. 

Though Meng Yao did not object beyond pulling his legs slightly together in embarrassment, Xichen could tell at once that – though he seemed to be somewhat wetter than a beta should be – at this rate it would be difficult to move inside him. He reluctantly left Meng Yao’s neck, crawling down his body and placing kisses as he went, before flipping up his hips and placing an especially deep kiss to the soft, pink hole that seemed to be waiting for him.

“Ngh!” Meng Yao yelped, clenching both his hands. 

Xichen at that moment was blind to anything but the sensation of sliding his tongue inside this most precious creature. There was some resistance each time he drove inside, but it lessened each time as Meng Yao’s muscles slowly relaxed for him. The pink skin gradually grew a darker color as if purposefully tempting him. He could also see from this angle that Meng Yao’s own cock was twitching toward his stomach. He was feeling it too. 

Though finding it very difficult to stop what he was doing, Xichen’s cock felt ready to burst. He gave Meng Yao one last deep lick, continuing up this time to lick all the way up the line from his taint and balls to the shaft of his cock and provoking a desperate cry, and then finally set his hips back down on the bed. 

He gazed in wonder at Meng Yao’s disheveled appearance, his breath making his small chest rise and fall rapidly. His neck was a delightful mess, with at least two bleeding bite marks already. Xichen felt contentment in the deepest part of his chest, but also a desperate desire that seemed likely to swallow him whole. 

He leaned down over Meng Yao again. He wanted to say his name. He wanted reassurance that he wasn’t the only one who felt this way. But in his addled state, all he could do was beg kisses from this precious person beneath him. And then his body got away from him, and with barely any warning he slid his cock inside Meng Yao’s entrance.

Meng Yao’s mouth opened but no sound emerged. He was in shock. Xichen watched his face with fascination as he slowly slid in deeper. Meng Yao nervously looked down as if disbelieving what was happening. Xichen couldn’t help kissing his cheek, then demanding his lips again. It took almost a full minute to reach Meng Yao’s deepest point. Once there, both were a trembling wreck, but Meng Yao much more so. 

Xichen urged more kisses from him even as he began to move inside. He was so turned on by everything about Meng Yao in this moment that he could barely feel the painful friction between them. But he could see that Meng Yao’s face was caught up flashing between pain and even more desire. He felt satisfied deep in his gut as he realized he was evoking such expressions in this small beta who was willing to give himself over to Xichen’s desires. 

With each thrust inside him, Xichen felt Meng Yao became more and more his. Eventually this feeling reached his lips against his will. “A-Yao…” he whispered in his ear. “A-Yao…my…A-Yao…”

Meng Yao’s breathing heightened. His back seemed to arch up and his hips twitched up to meet Xichen’s movements. But Xichen thought he saw another silvery streak run down A-Yao’s cheek. He soon couldn’t tell anymore as Meng Yao’s fingers dug into his back and his face pressed into Xichen’s shoulder in desperation.

One after another, moans dripped from A-Yao’s mouth, directly into Xichen’s ear. With sensitive hearing to begin with, and now his alpha instincts driven to fever pitch, each moan in his ear felt like having his cock squeezed. Xichen’s eyes fluttered as his desire rose and rose until it almost frightened him. He tried not to, but he could feel his own terrible strength making bruises of passion on Meng Yao’s body, specifically his arms and legs as he grasped them hungrily. 

And at the back of his mind, as his body was ravaged by a pleasure he had never imagined, contentment filled him as he kept remembering Meng Yao’s near-confession. The one Meng Yao loved, he thought, must be him. The thought made him dizzy and desperate to confirm it, but there was no way he could stop now.

His whole body was alive with pleasure, but his cock burned inside this lovely being beneath him. Meng Yao’s voice in his ear and even his fingernails digging into his skin drove him to further heights, and before long he felt his base beginning to widen until he could barely move. 

“A-Yao…” he gasped as he could feel his seed building inside him. “A-Yao…I’m…afraid…!”

“Xichen-ge…!” 

Meng Yao grasped him tightly around his neck as if to comfort him. But soon Meng Yao had no presence of mind to worry about others as Xichen began to cum. A shocked sound emerged from him. His fingers dug into Xichen’s back. His whole body tensed. His breathing wouldn’t come right as Xichen’s cock swelled inside him, already too large for his much smaller frame. And then Xichen’s heat began to fill him.

“Ahh!” Meng Yao cried, letting go of Xichen to arch his back against the bed in desperation as Xichen flooded his insides with cum. 

Xichen had a brief flash of terror that he was hurting him; betas were not made to withstand the desire of alphas after all. But as he looked down with worry, he was able to see Meng Yao’s cock twitching and then finally streaking both their chests with his cum. Xichen’s chest felt almost uncomfortably full as his affection for Meng Yao only grew. He held him tightly through his long orgasm, adoring his little twitches and gasps all the way through. 

By the time Xichen finished cumming, there was a noticeable bulge in Meng Yao’s stomach, as if he had become instantly three months pregnant. The thought only increased the tenderness in Xichen’s heart. He bestowed loving kisses over Meng Yao’s face and neck as his knot slowly settled down again. 

Though Meng Yao seemed already barely clinging to consciousness after just one time, Xichen’s desire was not even slightly sated. And now with the added lubrication of his cum, his alpha cock slid smoothly between the plump cheeks of Meng Yao’s ass. Even though a slightly panicked cry rose from him as he felt Xichen moving again, Meng Yao’s eyes fluttered and he even exposed his neck with a soft moan of desire. Xichen happily obliged and gave him countless kisses and soft bites as he made love to him until dawn was nearly breaking. 

When his senses returned to him the next morning, his body felt battered. It had not been a heat, he thought, but he had never felt so trapped by his own desire. Slowly, as fuzzy memories returned to him, he was flooded with guilt at what he had done without even getting proper permission. 

He worriedly sat up and looked over to the small form beside his own. Though he was still asleep and in fact utterly motionless, Meng Yao’s eyes were red and puffy, as if he had been crying most of the night. His lips were even redder, as if someone had been repeatedly biting them. Xichen raised a trembling hand to touch his own raw lips. Worse were the large, noticeable bite marks on his neck, two of which had drawn blood. But there was worse in store for Xichen’s guilt as he looked down.

Apart from the bruises on his arms and legs, and even a slight swell in his stomach, streaks of cum and even specs of blood extended from between Meng Yao’s slender legs. Xichen felt as if he had been hit by a truck. He had never thought he would be capable of such cruelty. What’s more, toward this most precious being. He could not help gently brushing the sweat-streaked hair from Meng Yao’s face and placing a soft kiss on his sleeping cheek, swearing in his heart never to treat him so carelessly again.

He gathered the small, sleeping body in his arms and brought him to the bathroom, turning on the bath water with one hand while he easily held him in the crook of his arm. He held him in both arms tenderly as the bath slowly filled, remarking with another stab of guilt how very small and light Meng Yao was. He was like a child by comparison to Xichen; he should never be treated so roughly. 

He was still asleep, no doubt from exhaustion, as Xichen gently lowered him into the water and began caring for his injuries. Though it pained him to be faced with what he had done, he knew it was important to clean him out, so he held Meng Yao under his back with one arm while gently encouraging water in and cum out of his hole. 

It was fortunately some time later, as Xichen had finished bathing him, changed the bed sheets and brought him back to the bed to feed him spiritual energy, that Meng Yao woke with a gasp. 

“A-Yao…” Xichen murmured worriedly. “…it’s all right. I’m here.”

But as he looked down at the bed, even though the sheets were changed, Meng Yao’s face was stiff. He looked as if he couldn’t process the situation fully, but the abiding emotion in his eyes was not happiness. Not even embarrassment. Something closer to horror. 

Xichen watched this happen but didn’t know how to help. He cautiously touched Meng Yao’s arm. But the moment he did, Meng Yao flinched and turned away. 

Xichen was in shock for several moments after this happened. Of all the things he had experienced from last night until now, this one shattered him. Meng Yao didn’t want to be touched by him. What did this mean? Fool, he thought, as his eyes began to sting. Was there any other reason someone wouldn’t want to be touched by someone who had forced them into sex? But no, that couldn’t be, he assured himself. Meng Yao probably had many complicated emotions going through him now, but Xichen remained convinced that the near-confession last night had been one of love for him. 

Meng Yao swallowed hard as if gathering his courage. “It didn’t happen,” he murmured softly, almost as if only speaking to himself. “Last night…nothing happened.”

Slowly, the conviction in Xichen’s heart that Meng Yao loved him began to break apart. Soon, he felt as if he had been set out to drift on a piece of ice that was slowly cracking apart beneath him. 

“…why…do you say that?” Xichen asked softly, though a terrible fear about what the answer might be slowly rose up in his heart. 

Meng Yao’s jaw tightened. He looked trapped, not knowing where to turn. “I need to get breakfast ready…” he mumbled absently, moving his trembling body to the opposite side of the bed from Xichen. 

He pulled himself up to a seated position and managed to lower his shaking legs to the floor, but then he crumpled. Xichen hurriedly crossed to the other side of the bed to help him up, but Meng Yao thrust both hands out to hit Xichen’s chest with an echoing strike. In shock, Xichen could barely move.

Meng Yao was breathing hard, looking down at the floor even as he remained crumpled against the bed and under Xichen. He raised a shaking hand to cover his eyes. “Please,” he whispered. “If you’re here, I can’t relax.”

The ice beneath Xichen’s feet cracked apart into nothing, and he sank down deeply beneath the waves. Meng Yao’s words echoed inside his head, as the strike of his small hands did against his chest. Everything began to make sense. Whatever Meng Yao’s confession had been about last night, it hadn’t been of love for Xichen. It was someone else. Which meant that what Xichen had done, without his consent, was nothing else but rape. Understandably, Meng Yao didn’t want to be in the same room as his rapist.

An apology should have come, but it stuck in Xichen’s throat. Would it even matter? Nothing could change what he had done. He did not deserve forgiveness. 

Realizing there were hot streaks of tears running down his cheeks, Xichen calmly turned away, not wishing to burden Meng Yao any further. He now realized, at the worst possible time, that the reason he had so easily believed Meng Yao was in love with him was that he was the one who was in love. 

He had probably loved Meng Yao ever since he had met him. His every small action enthralled Xichen and filled him with a gentle feeling of euphoria just to be near him. He had never felt jealousy in his life before hearing Meng Yao describe the love for another. Had never felt so worthless as he did right now, thinking he had disappointed and hurt him. And as his feelings matched with every description Meng Yao had given, his tears stopped as coldness ran through him. That beautiful feeling that had been inside him all this time without his even noticing, he had broken. 

There were many things he felt he needed to say to Meng Yao. But none seemed worthy to meet the air. Trembling and feeling as if his throat had frozen, Xichen said nothing as he walked away, out of the room and then out of the Nie estate altogether. He numbly walked long into the gathering dawn, not remarking on where he was going. It didn’t matter. He had lost the most precious thing he had never even known existed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	7. Lan Xichen's Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meng Yao confesses to Lan Xichen what he did in order to share one night with him. Xichen has an unexpected reaction to his confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: ectopic pregnancy, but a happy ending this chapter!

Meng Yao had spent his whole life resenting the fact that he was born a beta. Albeit it was better than an omega, he knew that no matter how badly he wanted it, no one would ever trust him in a position of leadership. He had resolved to do what he could anyway, to fulfil the dying wish of his mother. But then he met someone who turned his world upside-down, and made him wish instead that he’d been born an omega.

Lan Xichen’s beauty was seen to best advantage in the frozen moment each time before he began to play his guqin. He appeared even kinder than usual as his head tilted slightly down. And yet there was a depth of feeling visible in his eyes and mouth as the music moved him. His lustrous black hair, pulled back from his face and loosely held in his white forehead ribbon, shifted temptingly as he moved, over his broad and comforting shoulders. His long fingers, his right hand gently drawing out notes and his left giving them pitch, may as well have been strumming the hearts of anyone who saw him. Though on an acoustic level Meng Yao preferred the sound of his xiao, the first time he had seen the great Zewu-jun in person, his heart had been stolen after only seeing his smile, and been ready to burst when he first saw him play. 

Meng Yao had given up the moment he realized his own feelings, of course. Forget the fact that Zewu-jun was an alpha, and the head of one of the five great clans. Even if he hadn’t been a spectacular cultivator, a once-in-a-generation talent. Even if he hadn’t been disciplined, noble and chivalrous to the point of putting all others to shame. The sad fact was, he was kind. And that alone made Meng Yao feel unworthy of him.

Yet, in spite of himself, his feelings only continued to grow stronger. He was beginning to contemplate something drastic when he heard about a certain drug that could be found on the black market. According to reports, it had the ability to temporarily alter beta anatomy to make them more tempting to alphas. Even, in rare cases, to allow for pregnancy. To Meng Yao at that time, the smallest hope had been enough. He obtained it, and began taking it.

A month later, just as dawn light was creeping into his bedroom, Meng Yao immediately got up and ran to the bathroom, throwing up almost nothing because he had little appetite these days anyway. Still, rather foolishly as he admitted to himself, even this made him feel warm inside. He tried not to pin his hopes on pregnancy, but from what he had heard, these matched the symptoms.

That night with Zewu-jun had been sweeter than he ever imagined. More painful than he thought too. He was drowning in shame when he woke up to find Zewu-jun feeding him spiritual energy. Giving of his life force to help someone who had essentially drugged and coerced him. And now was trying to steal his essence in order to have a secret child. Even Lan Xichen could not forgive him if he knew.

He cleaned up from throwing up again that morning and prepared Nie Mingjue’s breakfast as usual. He stood by drinking coffee and shuddering as the acidic beverage hit his upset stomach. But he couldn’t eat in the mornings at all recently. 

“Will you need me in the office today, Clan Leader?” Meng Yao asked him, as he did most mornings unless Mingjue had told him otherwise in advance.

“Mm,” the clan leader answered at first, but then hesitated while about to take a bite of toast. He raised an eyebrow up at Meng Yao’s slightly shaking hand as he held his coffee, and his pale and gaunt countenance. He put down his toast to glare at him. “Haven’t I told you to see a doctor?”

Meng Yao’s heart throbbed with fear, but he only showed an innocent smile. “But why? I assure you, I feel fine.”

“Well you look like hell.”

Meng Yao chuckled. “Thank you.”

“I’m serious. Get it seen to. Until then, I don’t need you.”

Meng Yao’s smile slowly faded and his fingers tightened over his cup. This was dangerous. If he were pregnant, it was possible Nie Mingjue would throw him out from sheer anger. Or simply because he would be useless at his job. He had a contingency plan in case that happened, but he would rather not rely on his unscrupulous friend Xue Yang unless he had to.

Meng Yao forced himself to smile again, setting down his cup and shrugging. “I’ll be a bit lost without something to do.”

“Nh? Go to university then. You always do Huaisang’s homework anyway, don’t you?”

Meng Yao let out a reluctant chuckle. “Clan Leader…you knew about that…”

“You won’t let me pay for you to take classes yourself, so what do you want?” Nie Mingjue growled in his typical bitter kindness. Meng Yao had to admit he was quite weak to it. In fact, Mingjue was the first person who had ever shown him any consideration. 

His soft smile down toward his coffee at that moment was genuine. “Mm. Thank you, Clan Leader.”

Mingjue left to do his work, and Meng Yao obediently went to Nie Huaisang’s classes with him. Indeed, it was hardly his first time doing so, and all the professors already knew him. He sat beside Huaisang and obediently took notes at first, but as the day wore on he began feeling worse and worse. His stomach hurt badly. He was beginning to feel faint, but he tried to convince himself it would pass, especially if he ate something. 

He joined Huaisang and his friends for lunch as well, which on this occasion included Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. He bowed to both, but couldn’t stop his eyes from lingering on the omega that so resembled the one he loved, and who had recently done what Meng Yao yearned to do, giving birth to a Lan child.

Objectively it would be difficult to compare the looks of the elder and younger of the Twin Jades of Lan, but as far as Meng Yao was concerned, Lan Wangji was a gruff and unattractive child by comparison to his brother. Not only that, but he felt a cold stare from Lan Wangji from the moment they arrived. He couldn’t imagine why, though.

“Hey, I haven’t seen you since the birth, right?” Wei Wuxian asked, as usual immune to tension. “Clan Leader Nie still giving you a hard time? Hey, what was his face like when he saw the baby? You can tell me. He crinkled up, right? He’s a big old softie and everyone knows it.”

Though Meng Yao forced himself to laugh slightly, Huaisang showed the appropriate horror on his behalf, shaking his head vigorously. “Wei-xiong…you underestimate him. I think he would murder a puppy if it pooped on his shoe.”

Meng Yao scoffed with a laugh. “Huaisang. He is strict, but you know he cares deeply too. That’s mostly where his anger comes from.” To Wei Wuxian he added, “I believe there was a hint of a smile when he saw baby Yuan.”

“I knew it,” Wei Wuxian sneered triumphantly.

“…you’re not going to ask about my brother?”

All four others, as Jiang Cheng was also present but glumly eating his lunch while the others chatted, looked toward Lan Wangji with surprise. Meng Yao most of all. He tilted his head with a confused smile. 

“Yes…of course,” he corrected quickly. “How is Zewu-jun?”

“In isolation.”

Meng Yao froze. Guilt that he had been keeping at bay by convincing himself Zewu-jun would merely forget the unpleasant incident suddenly reared inside him, filling up his throat. He softly managed to ask, “…why?”

Lan Wangji shook his head. “He will not say.”

Wei Wuxian sighed worriedly. “We are all a little worried about him, to be honest. But hang on, Lan Zhan. Are you suggesting Meng Yao has something to do with it?”

Though Lan Wangji did not respond, his cold stare did not leave Meng Yao for a moment. Meng Yao felt as if he were being slowly stabbed through his chest. If Lan Xichen had been traumatized by the incident… Even if he were not, his brother clearly hated him. Lan Wangji was poor at communication, but incredibly perceptive. What if he were picking up on Lan Xichen’s resentment toward Meng Yao? If Lan Xichen hated him…or if his actions had caused him to remove himself from the world…was there any use in anything anymore?

Meng Yao numbly got to his feet, mumbling about needing the restroom. He had not walked two steps before he collapsed in the courtyard. He could not feel it, but he heard the gasps of horror from those around him as they saw blood leaking from between his legs.

…

After Meng Yao woke several hours later, in a bright room in a hospital bed, everything felt so surreal he really wondered if he had died in that courtyard. The doctor explained to him that he had had an ectopic pregnancy, which had ruptured and started bleeding. His body could not have ever supported life, no matter how much he wanted it, and the attempt had nearly killed him. The thought that his unworthiness had failed to bring a child of Lan Xichen to life kept him numb and unresponsive for hours on end. 

He didn’t answer when Huaisang and Wei Wuxian tried to talk to him. Even after they left, when Nie Mingjue came a while later and sat with him in silence, he couldn’t even acknowledge his presence. Just before he left, Mingjue asked him a soft question.

“Do you want Lan Xichen to know?”

That finally broke the dam inside him. One after another, tears dripped down Meng Yao’s face. How did such a brute as Nie Mingjue always manage to save him? After crying silently for a few minutes, Meng Yao was able to turn his face slightly in Mingjue’s direction.

“He…should…know,” Meng Yao struggled, finding it difficult to form words, as if his brain were caught in molasses. “But…I can’t…”

“You can,” Mingjue assured him. He actually seemed greatly relieved that Meng Yao had even spoken. “And another thing you can do: trust him. He’d never let you down. So when he comes here, you just be honest and let him tell you how he feels.”

All Meng Yao could do was eventually nod, though there was much he didn’t believe in what Mingjue had just said. The thought of seeing Lan Xichen’s face at this moment made two equal and conflicting emotions threaten to tear him apart; joy just at the thought that Lan Xichen existed in the world, and crushing guilt at what he had done. But precisely because of that, he had to acknowledge that one thing Mingjue said was true: Zewu-jun deserved his honesty. And he deserved to tell Meng Yao how he felt. Even if it was abject disgust.

Not even an hour later, Meng Yao thought he heard running down the hallway outside his room, as well as yelling that this was a hospital and not to run in it. Suddenly, a panting Zewu-jun appeared in his doorway. Meng Yao’s eyes widened. If he had come here to kill him out of revenge, he was awfully eager.

“A-…A-Yao…”

Meng Yao immediately looked down, fearing his guilt would make him unable to respond if he looked at Xichen’s beautiful face any longer. He missed the hollowness of Xichen’s cheeks, from his own poor eating since that night. But he also missed the redness in his eyes the moment he saw Meng Yao. 

Xichen lowered his head too, seeming torn as he stood in the doorway. But at length he asked softly, “Do you mind if I come in?”

Meng Yao couldn’t help raising his eyebrows slightly, wondering what Xichen had been planning on doing if he said he did mind. “Please do,” he said, hoping he sounded calm. He did not want Xichen to think worse of him, or that he didn’t care, but he also felt he couldn’t make this about his feelings. He just had to tell Lan Xichen everything and then hear him out, whatever his reaction was.

He expected Xichen to sit where Mingjue had been, at his bedside by the window. But Xichen merely came inside, closed the door behind him, and sat just adjacent to it. Meng Yao’s chest felt tight as he thought Xichen had purposefully chosen a spot as far away from him as possible and nearest the exit. But he held back the tears that wanted to form.

“…has Da-Ge told you?” he asked, hoping but not expecting the answer was ‘yes.’

Xichen grew silent, looking at the floor. Meng Yao’s anxiety continued to rise the longer he went without speaking, but then he heard a soft, shuddering breath from him, and the words he least expected to hear. 

“A-Yao…I’m so sorry.”

Meng Yao felt quite uncertain why Xichen would think he needed to say this. He couldn’t help from staring at the ethereally graceful man, who now looked worn and exhausted, his eyes red and a slim silvery line down one cheek already. Another soon joined it. Xichen closed his eyes and shook his head in self-hatred, while Meng Yao’s eyes widened as he watched him.

“I know an apology after the fact doesn’t mean anything. I didn’t even want to show my face in front of you. Only when Mingjue-ge told me what had happened…” He took in a shaking breath and seemed unable to continue.

Meng Yao struggled to understand what was happening. Was Zewu-jun under some kind of misunderstanding? Not wanting to see Meng Yao’s face, that he could understand. But what could he possibly be apologizing for? 

Meng Yao again fought the urge to cry as he had a heartbreaking thought. In disbelief he asked Xichen, “Do you feel sorry, even for someone like me, just because I got hurt from my own foolishness? Are you really that pure-hearted?”

“Foolishness?” Xichen repeated in surprise. Meng Yao sighed; clearly Mingjue had not told him everything. “A-Yao…how could you be at fault? I was the one who-“

“Please stop, Zewu-jun,” Meng Yao said, softly but firmly. He cast his gaze down and shook his head at his own contemptible selfishness. “All this time…you thought you just went into a normal heat, didn’t you? And I happened to be there. You believed you attacked me, against my will. Is that right?”

Xichen didn’t answer, but he looked sufficiently confused that Meng Yao could assume he was correct.

“Clan Leader Nie must have told you about the…failed attempt,” Meng Yao muttered, gingerly placing a hand over his own stomach. “How did you suppose a beta might have gotten in that state?”

Xichen shook his head dully. “I thought, since I was so affected by your scent that night, perhaps you had been misdiagnosed as a beta all along…”

“Heh,” Meng Yao let out a bitter laugh, thinking how many years it had been since he had started wishing that were the case. And how few but how much harder he had been wishing he were an omega rather than an alpha. But he was conscious that there was no way for Xichen to understand this.

Meng Yao patiently explained, “I obtained a drug called ‘Red Lily.’ I researched its contents as much as possible, and the claims seemed plausible. I started taking it that night, knowing Clan Leader Nie had invited you over. Apparently the effects were immediate, which was exactly what I hoped.”

He paused and glanced at Xichen. He was unsurprised to see the confusion still streaking the graceful gentleman’s face. He still didn’t understand.

Meng Yao swallowed. “I wanted…one night with you. So much that I resorted to such cowardly subterfuge. I even hoped…I would gain a remembrance from it…” He felt his throat start to close as he again fought back the tears he couldn’t bear to show in front of the one he had wronged. “…but it was impossible. Fortunately, for your sake. I imagine the alternative would have been quite horrific for you.”

“…wait…” Xichen pleaded, covering his eyes with his hand. “Please, give me a moment…”

Meng Yao wanted to shake his head, to say it wasn’t necessary to give the issue the slightest consideration. If it were him, and someone had schemed this way, attempting to steal his innocence and even his own flesh and blood, he would never forgive them. He might get revenge, but that could be done from a distance with much less effort and danger to oneself. But Mingjue’s words rose up within him again. All he had to do was hear Xichen out, that was his only duty now. He kept his silence.

Xichen kept his hand over his eyes for some time, but when he lowered it, he still looked troubled. Not angry, as Meng Yao expected. It would seem there was something he still didn’t understand. Gradually though, the clouds over his beautiful expression cleared.

“It was me…” Xichen whispered to himself. His eyes slowly shifted up to view Meng Yao’s, a hint of wonder glittering within their deep brown. “A-Yao…the one you talked about in the hospital…was it me?”

Meng Yao frowned at the question. Hospital? He suddenly remembered: the day of Lan Wangji’s delivery. In an attempt to comfort the one he loved most, he had let slip a lot of sentimental nonsense. He should have known that someone as straightforward as Lan Xichen would take his word as gospel. He sighed. 

“Don’t be so trusting, Xichen-ge,” Meng Yao murmured softly. “That’s not what we’re talking about now, is it? You’re always so…too considerate. You empathize even with the lowliest of beings. It is a habit that you would do well to break.”

Xichen stood from his chair. He didn’t approach any closer, but he looked as if he wanted to. “A-Yao, please. If it’s not true…then I’ll do whatever you ask,” he whispered. “I’ll take responsibility for your welfare from now on. Anything you desire will be yours, even if it is…never to see me again. But please tell me your true feelings.”

Meng Yao didn’t know what to make of this. His words seemed oddly disconnected from the ones Meng Yao expected. As he considered the implications, he realized he was faced with a dilemma. As much as Xichen deserved his honestly…and frankly should really already know his feelings from all the trouble he had gone to just to have one night with him, the fact was that he was offering him something quite extraordinary. 

Lying and saying he didn’t love him would free Xichen of the obvious guilt he felt. At the same time, it would get Meng Yao everything he ever wanted. Everything, minus the one he wanted most, of course. Shouldn’t he agree? 

He started to. He opened his mouth, his eyes cast down at Xichen’s feet. But his guilt at lying to him even now stopped his throat for just a moment too long. Suddenly he heard a soft sob. He looked up.

Xichen’s beautiful face was twisted in torment. His eyes were fluttering through tiny dew drops, which fell ceaselessly down his cheeks. He took a step forward and knelt on the ground beside the bed. He lifted a hand and placed it on the edge of the bed. He almost looked as if he were praying. 

“I understand,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for forcing you to say something unpleasant. A-Yao…you don’t have to say anything. I won’t ask anymore. I won’t show my face to you anymore. Just please let me take care of you.”

Meng Yao was frozen in shock. What was this foolish gentleman doing? Why was he kneeling there beside the bed of a monster as if he were crying over a dying wife? This was wrong. He should not be kneeling there. 

“Z-…Zewu-jun,” Meng Yao struggled to speak through his shock. “Get up. You shouldn’t be kneeling there…your clothes will get dirty…”

Xichen sniffed softly and seemed not to be listening. His fingers tightened over the bed sheets, so far from Meng Yao that he could barely feel it. Meng Yao clenched his jaw in gathering unease and torment. 

“Zewu-jun,” he said, more firmly this time. “What you’re feeling now is just pity. It’s not anything more. Please don’t torture yourself this way.”

Xichen shook his head. “I know you were speaking the truth that day.”

Meng Yao took in a quick breath, feeling as if his weak spot had been sharply prodded. He tried to pretend his feelings didn’t matter, but the truth was that he didn’t want Xichen to know. He felt ashamed that he had set his sights so high, and couldn’t bear for Xichen to think he had such thoughts above his station. And Xichen was so innocent…when had he realized?

But then Xichen shocked him once again, by proving himself even more innocent than Meng Yao realized. “I know you really do feel that way about someone. You are a great actor, truly…like how you hide how angry you feel around Mingjue-ge. Normally I can’t tell at all. I know you were telling the truth that day because…it was against your best interests, wasn’t it?”

Meng Yao blinked at him. How had this puppy dog of a man seen through him so completely? Albeit he claimed not to know every time Meng Yao was lying, he had clearly developed some very reliable method, or how could he know so much?

“If you wanted me, if only for a night, if only as a replacement for the one you really love, you should have lied and said love was something more pleasant,” Xichen said, oddly calm. “If you had, perhaps I would never have realized how I felt.”

Xichen closed his eyes again, sending two more shimmering drops down his cheeks. “I’m sorry for being such a burden to you. I swear…I won’t stand in your way, whoever it is. I’ll even help if I can. As long as I can take care of you, nothing else matters. I can’t bear for you to be hurt again, Meng Yao. Please.”

“Xichen-ge…” Meng Yao whispered, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. 

This couldn’t be real, could it? From what he was saying, there was really only one way to interpret Xichen’s feelings. But even for someone as inexperienced as he, who would possibly be so easily coerced into such deep feelings? None of this made sense. 

“No,” Meng Yao murmured on impulse. He didn’t think as he crawled down the bed to clasp Xichen’s hand and his cheek in either hand. Trembling and starting to cry himself, he wiped a tear from Xichen’s alabaster cheek and told him, “You don’t say these things…you’re the one who should be cried over and adored by all…you can’t be kneeling on the ground like this.”

Xichen closed his eyes gratefully to feel Meng Yao’s touch on his cheek. “A-Yao…”

Meng Yao’s vision was becoming increasingly blurry. His whole face felt hot. Before he realized what he was doing, he had slipped both legs from the bed and crumpled to the ground, directly into Xichen’s arms. 

“A-Yao!” Xichen cried worriedly, holding him out of instinct. “What is it? You can’t be out of bed!”

Meng Yao couldn’t speak. He clung to Xichen’s shirt, leaning his cheek against his chest and sobbing helplessly in his arms. “I love you,” he whispered.

A quick intake of breath over his head. Xichen’s already hard and disciplined body froze for a few moments in shocked stillness. Meng Yao truly had no idea anymore how he would react, but the small, dark, selfish part of him hoped he was right that Xichen was easily swayed by others’ emotions. Would it be enough? Would he be disillusioned now that Meng Yao had admitted it?

“You…love me?”

Meng Yao whimpered, clinging even tighter to him. “Please don’t think less of me,” he cried softly. “I never…I never would have tried to take a place by your side. I know I’m not worthy. But…who couldn’t love you?”

Gradually, as if waking up from a deep sleep, Xichen’s arms encircled Meng Yao more and more tightly. He felt as if he were being swallowed inside a tree. He was too happy just from this to think about what it might mean. Finally, he noticed the shaking and rasping breath of Xichen above him as his tears began again. 

He didn’t even say anything, only held Meng Yao tightly as if he might fall apart if he let go. He barely moved for so long that Meng Yao absently wondered if he were hurt somehow too. After how long Meng Yao had no idea, but a span of time that seemed equally long and blissful and yet far too short when it was over, Xichen slowly released him. He surprised Meng Yao once again by placing a kiss on his cheek before gathering him up and placing him securely back in bed. 

Xichen soothed Meng Yao’s hair, gazing at him with wonder for some time. He managed a very small smile. “Rest. I will stay by your side until you tell me to go.”

Meng Yao closed his eyes, letting a few more tears fall, but he only just now realized how exhausted he was. He reached out and squeezed Xichen’s other hand before his consciousness left him.

…

Things between them became less certain, but more peaceful for a while after that. After Meng Yao was discharged, Xichen became a frequent visitor to the Nie estate, just as often for Meng Yao as for Nie Mingjue. Within just a couple of days, his appearance grew even more shining and brilliant than it had been before. Meng Yao slowly returned to health. 

Meng Yao was in awe of him more and more every time he saw him. It was hard not to simply stare at him whenever they were alone together. He never felt he could be courageous enough to ask Xichen about his feelings, but he did become bold in some ways.

“Xichen-ge…” he murmured one evening, as they sat together after having shared their thoughts about the same book they had both read. 

“Hm?” Xichen asked with a devastating smile. 

“Do you…do something special to your skin to make it sparkle?”

Xichen actually laughed a little. “Do I sparkle?”

Meng Yao sighed. “Ah yes, forgive me. Now that I look closer, it may have simply been love blinding me to your ugliness.”

Xichen smiled silently back at him for some time. He caressed the fingers of Meng Yao’s hand, resting on the couch beside his own, and squeezed softly. 

Meng Yao’s cheeks felt hot under his gaze. “What’s that look for?” he asked him irritably. 

“I was thinking I’d gladly be ugly if you would always say such things to me.”

Meng Yao slowly let out a shaking breath. He tried to remain calm as Xichen gently pulled him close, surrounding him in his arms in the way that made his heart soar. He cautiously squeezed down on the two great arms that held him so well. “You like being called ugly?” he joked pathetically.

Xichen chuckled near his ear, sending a low and resounding echo from his large chest through Meng Yao’s back and making him shiver. “Not that part. But I also like when you’re a little cruel to me. It’s a side you don’t show anyone else. Isn’t that so?”

Meng Yao swallowed, feeling fire begin to roar through his veins, simply at feeling Xichen’s voice against his back. He shifted impatiently in his arms, hoping Xichen would realize and he wouldn’t have to ask. Because in fact, though it had been weeks since that moment in the hospital, Xichen had not even kissed him since then. Meng Yao could not gather the courage confirm it, but he feared that Xichen felt no attraction to him after having known once what he might be like as an omega.

Xichen did seem to notice, but took his shifting for discomfort. “Are you too hot?” he asked, loosening his grasp. 

Meng Yao sighed softly. He shook his head. He attempted to use his best acting skill to show just part of his profile, tilt his head up slightly and angle his eyes down shyly. “No…” he murmured. “It feels good.”

Xichen’s lips parted. He took in a slow breath, hesitating for a moment. Meng Yao swallowed in fear that he would understand but give him a clear rejection this time. Instead, he rested his cheek against Meng Yao’s hair. 

“To be honest…I would like to do more,” Xichen said softly against his hair. “But if you no longer desire these things with me, I-“

“Me?!” Meng Yao demanded, turning around to glare at him. “How many times do I have to tell you that I love you? How far would you like my psychosis to sink exactly? Did you forget I committed a crime and nearly died just for one night with you?”

Xichen blinked at this litany of reasons. He eventually nodded somewhat dully. “No…but it must have been quite painful. I’m sure I was also unskillful in bed.”

“Ha!” Meng Yao actually laughed at him, finally fed up with his never-ending modesty. “Tell me the truth, Xichen-ge. Some of the time you do play the fool on purpose. You’re not just fishing for compliments are you?”

From a truly innocent expression, Meng Yao was certain he saw a very slight glint in Xichen’s eye, and a small tug of his mouth. He tilted his head slightly. “Does that mean I wasn’t bad?”

“I give up. Have fun on your own. I won’t stroke your ego for you.”

Xichen clasped his wrist as he tried to leave and let out a small chuckle. “I don’t mean it, A-Yao. Please let me touch you more. As much as you like.”

Meng Yao couldn’t really object to that, even at the expense of his pride. He slowly sat back down, this time in Xichen’s lap. Xichen contentedly closed his eyes and surrounded Meng Yao in his arms again, barely moving for some time but to stroke his hair. 

Into his ear he murmured in his tantalizing baritone, “Where would you like to be touched?”

Meng Yao shuddered all over. He couldn’t stop from shifting his hips on top of Xichen’s lap, even as his pants began to feel a little tight. He hesitantly peeked over at Xichen’s lips, his gaze telling him clearly what he wanted. 

Xichen might have understood, but he merely nuzzled Meng Yao’s cheek and placed a soft kiss there. “Tell me,” he insisted. 

“…chest…” Meng Yao whispered.

Xichen took in a soft breath. He cradled Meng Yao’s back in one arm, then spread his other hand across Meng Yao’s chest. The size difference between their bodies was such that if he spread out his fingers, he could stretch more than half the width of his whole chest. Meng Yao couldn’t hold back undignified moans even from this small amount of touching. 

“Clothes on?” Xichen asked in his ear.

“Off,” Meng Yao gasped immediately. 

Xichen picked him up under his arms, placing him back against the couch while he shifted across from him to the coffee table. He slowly and conscientiously unbuttoned Meng Yao’s shirt and ran his fingers across the bare skin in order to remove the garment. Just as Meng Yao’s breathing was starting to rise, he leaned back. He allowed Meng Yao quite a vision of erotic perfection as he unbuttoned and removed his own shirt as well. 

Xichen’s hands returned to Meng Yao’s chest, the feeling of his fingers against his bare skin enough to make Meng Yao’s cock already painfully hard. He gasped loudly, instinctively pushing Xichen’s hands down a little from embarrassment. 

“No more on your chest?” Xichen asked him softly.

Meng Yao shook his head. 

“Where then?”

Meng Yao clenched his jaw, already approaching a state of humiliation by this kind of slow teasing. He couldn’t bear Xichen’s sweetness. But neither could he bear to reject it. He reluctantly sat up on the couch, turning his back to Xichen. He swallowed as he leaned slightly forward, arching his back so it was obvious where he wanted to be touched. 

Xichen did seem to understand this time. He rose and covered Meng Yao’s body with his own. He placed a light kiss on his back. While he unbuttoned and slipped off Meng Yao’s pants and underwear, he spoke in that tempting way against Meng Yao’s ear again.

“The last time I let my instincts get the better of me and hurt you. This time you must tell me clearly exactly what you want. I will not love you any less for having the bravery to speak your feelings. I will love you only more and more.”

Meng Yao couldn’t move. That word had emerged from Xichen’s lips so naturally that at first he barely noticed. And then he thought he had misheard. Eventually he simply couldn’t accept it, and convinced himself that he had indeed misheard. Whatever the case, he had wanted Xichen for far too long to hesitate now. 

“There is some lube in a cabinet over there,” he murmured. 

Xichen went to fetch it but waited for Meng Yao to say properly what he wanted. Meng Yao let out a shaking sigh.

“I want…I want to feel you inside…even if…I don’t know if you could, with my body like this, but…even if you knot me, I want it.”

Xichen let out a soft scoff. “If I could?” he repeated sadly. Leaning over Meng Yao, he took one of Meng Yao’s hands and pressed it against the most sensitive part of his body. As Meng Yao was trembling with excitement just at this, Xichen moved his hand down to feel the noticeable bulge at the base. “I am not even inside you yet. But my body assures me that if there is anyone I want to have my seed, it is only you, A-Yao.”

Meng Yao closed his eyes, shaking with equal happiness and fear that he would lose it. Fortunately, Xichen soon moved on and began caressing his entrance with lube coating his fingers. Meng Yao hid his face against the couch, embarrassed at how good he was feeling just from this. Betas weren’t supposed to feel that much pleasure from anal play, but perhaps his body still remembered Xichen’s touch from before. 

It was an agonizing wait until Xichen finally decided Meng Yao was loose enough, by the end of which Meng Yao was barely able to speak from pleasure and anticipation. 

“A-Yao,” Xichen whispered in his ear. “I’m sorry…I want to bite you. But that’s going too far, isn’t it?”

Pleasure thrummed up Meng Yao’s spine just hearing the words. “Xichen-ge…please…I can’t wait anymore…make me your mate…!”

Xichen gasped. Instantly, pain lit up Meng Yao’s nape and his hole at the same time. He let out a strangled gasp. Xichen felt so much bigger than the last time. Meng Yao could swear he was filling his belly completely. But the bite on his neck, although it should have only been painful, felt almost even more pleasurable than his own cock, twitching up toward his own full stomach. Meng Yao let out a delighted moan at the blissful sensation of being fucked and bitten by Lan Xichen. 

He knew they remained in this position for a long time, but his thoughts became fuzzy. He came at least twice without Xichen taking it out, or even letting go of his neck. When he collapsed in exhaustion after the second time, Xichen let him curl up beside him on the couch and whispered loving things to him while he slowly recovered. 

Meng Yao gasped, realizing Xichen was still inside him and incredibly hard. He sweetly curled his fingers against his skin and kissed the corner of Xichen’s jaw. “I’m sorry. It felt so good I lost track for a moment. Don’t stop.”

Xichen looked down at him in wonder. He gathered Meng Yao’s face in both hands and kissed him again and again. “I don’t want it to end,” he said, nearly breaking Meng Yao’s heart.

Meng Yao’s eyes fluttered and he cursed how much he already loved him, and how much his love only seemed to grow the more he knew him. “All right,” he whispered, stealing another soft kiss. “Then never let me leave your bed.”

Xichen squeezed Meng Yao’s body against his own. He let out a soft gasp as he instinctively shifted his hips deeper inside him. “I can’t hold back…”

“Yes…” Meng Yao begged against his lips.

Xichen kissed him harder as he thrust up inside him, but finally let out a small gasp and then turned away to bite down on Meng Yao’s neck again. Meng Yao trembled as Xichen’s cock thrust up deeply and then widened inside him. He was knotted now, Xichen’s teeth deep in his neck. He closed his eyes in bliss as he felt Xichen fill him with warmth. 

While it indeed was exhausting for a beta to make love to an alpha, and in particular for anyone to make love with Lan Xichen, Meng Yao’s heart felt so incredibly full that he even forgot to doubt Lan Xichen’s feelings for him. 

“Are you still awake, my love?” Xichen whispered late that night, as they both lay naked in Meng Yao’s bed, after taking a bath together and each cumming one last time there.

Meng Yao was in fact already half asleep, but he nuzzled up against the hollow of Xichen’s neck. “Mm,” he replied.

“I’ll do anything for you to make you happy. While you dream tonight, can you think of what would make you happiest?”

Meng Yao’s eyes stung a little and he mistakenly thought he was already in a dream. He curled his fingers against Xichen’s skin and told him in a pouting tone, “…don’t want.”

Xichen chuckled warmly. “What do you mean? There’s nothing you want?”

Meng Yao shook his head against Xichen’s neck. Sleepily he added, “Mn…but I can’t have it.”

“What is it?”

“Lan Xichen…to love me.”

Meng Yao was already asleep by the time a soft tear fell in his hair. He thought he dreamed that Lan Xichen kissed his hair and whispered, “You’re right, I can’t give that to you. Because I already did. A long time ago. I hope you notice soon the gifts you already have, my love, and then I can give you more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	8. Puppy Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wen Ning expresses worry over Jin Ling's lack of friends, and follows Wei Wuxian's advice in order to be of some assistance to him.

Wei Wuxian was up to his usual mischief one evening in the Cloud Recesses when he spotted a lonely figure moping around on one of the exterior walls. He tilted his head curiously, wondering who – besides himself – would be so bold as to disrespect the Lan’s love of order. He narrowed his eyes to peer closer in the low light.

“Wen Ning?” he asked curiously. 

Wen Ning gasped, leaning back a bit too far and sliding straight off the roof and onto his back in the dirt with an uncomfortably large sound. Even knowing he didn’t feel any pain, Wei Wuxian winced reflexively. He sighed and came over to crouch above him with a look of pity.

“Why the especially long face this evening? Were some little kids teasing you again?”

Wen Ning sighed and sat up. He shook his ever-bedraggled head. “I was just wondering something. Master Wei…do you suppose Jin Rulan…Jin Ling has any friends?”

“Jin Ling? Pfft,” Wei Wuxian scoffed. “He was raised by Uncle Spoil-me and Uncle Beat-me. His only social skills are throwing money and hurling insults. I love him, okay? I mean, I have to. But even I don’t like him.”

Wen Ning was unusually bold as he frowned disapprovingly up at Wei Wuxian. 

“What’s that look for?” Wei Wuxian demanded with a laugh.

“…Master Jin would cry if he heard that.”

Wei Wuxian reluctantly accepted this with a nod. “You’re right. My bad, my bad.” He let out a sigh as he took a seat beside Wen Ning in the dirt, staring up toward the higher levels of the compound and the starry sky above. “So what’s your plan? Become Jin Ling’s one and only friend?”

Wen Ning bit his lip as he considered, but sadly shook his head. “I can’t be around him. It hurts him to see me.”

Like the world’s biggest fool, Wei Wuxian was about to worriedly ask why that would be. He almost slapped himself. How could it have slipped his mind, even for a moment? The majority of Jin Ling’s current problems could be placed squarely on Wei Wuxian’s shoulders. Even Wen Ning was taking the blame for him. He sighed heavily, streaking a hand down his face in exasperation.

“Look…he knows I was the reason you did that. In fact, saying you did it is misspeaking. I guided your hand and practically pumped the black, rotten blood through your veins. You know that, right? We’ve gone over this before.”

Wen Ning shook his head. “That’s just logic. Feelings don’t normally listen to that kind of thing. He has every right to hate me.”

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. “Wen Ning. Think for a moment. Who’s responsible for what happened to your sister? Do you hate me for that?”

Wen Ning actually considered before shaking his head. “You weren’t the one who killed her,” he answered with poignant simplicity. “I still hate the guard that lit the fire, even though I know he was ordered to do it by Jin Guangshan.”

As Wei Wuxian hadn’t considered the situation that way before, he really had nothing to say in reply. After all, he had tortured Wen Zhuliu to death himself for much the same thing. Philosophically, the issue was fascinating. But he had to admit even he couldn’t be very amused when the topic was the deaths of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan. 

“Hm,” he said eventually. “You do hate Jin Guangshan too, right?”

“Mm,” Wen Ning replied with a small nod.

Wei Wuxian poked his arm playfully. “Well, there you go. Jin Ling doesn’t hate me. He may be an idiot, but he knows who has his best interests at heart. Trust me. Don’t give up before you start.”

Wen Ning’s dark eyes sparkled with hope as they turned up toward Wei Wuxian. “Is there a way? To become friends?”

“Of course. You just do what I tell you, and you’ll have him wrapped around your little finger.”

…

Several nights later, following Wei Wuxian’s advice to the letter (if not really knowing why), Wen Ning crept without much difficulty into Carp Tower. He explored different areas, careful to avoid being seen, until he eventually found Jin Ling playing rather glumly with Fairy, throwing a ball for her and waiting for her to bring it back listlessly. 

“M-…Master Jin…” Wen Ning hesitantly caught his attention. He forgot that the was still hanging upside down from the nearest roof when he called out to him.

Jin Ling gasped and drew his sword instantly. When he saw Wen Ning, he recoiled yet again and jumped back with a small cry. “You…you?!” he demanded, his cheeks reddening in shame at his own reaction. “What on earth are you doing here in the middle of the night?!”

“Um…I came to play.”

“………you what?!!”

After Jin Ling yelled at him for a while, he became conscious that guards would come and he reluctantly ordered Wen Ning to follow him to his room. “Fairy, you stay outside and keep watch,” he said with childish seriousness.

Fairy barked obediently and trotted off on her own to patrol the perimeter. 

Jin Ling snapped the doors closed and rounded on Wen Ning with his arms folded churlishly. “Now. What in the name of all that is good were you thinking, coming here? Half my remaining family members want to kill you as soon as look at you, you know. And what do you mean ‘play’?!”

“Oh. Uh…” Wen Ning fumbled in his sleeve and produced the volumes he had borrowed from Wei Wuxian. He swallowed reflexively, grateful he had no blood circulation anymore or his blush would be obvious. He held them out. “M-…Master Wei told me you…p-probably never saw any of these.”

“Nh?” Jin Ling grunted, leaning closer to get a look at some of the titles. He didn’t understand at first and took one, beginning to flip through it. When it opened on an illustration, he dropped it as if it were burning hot. 

Jin Ling’s mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish for a few moments before he eventually let out a strangled noise of shock. “You…pervert!!!”

“Oh…actually I haven’t read them,” Wen Ning mumbled, disappointed already by Jin Ling’s reaction. “B-but Master Wei says…all youths go through such a phase. Probably I was too much of a coward to go through such a phase.”

“I…” Jin Ling began, but his blush increased and he quickly turned away, seeming to lose his train of thought. “I don’t…know of such things either.”

Wen Ning frowned, not sure exactly how to take this. He picked up the volume Jin Ling had dropped and remained holding it and the others awkwardly. “Then…you don’t need them?” he asked sadly.

“I-!” Jin Ling bit his lip in frustration. “Why would you bring them here if you don’t like them either?!”

Wen Ning lowered his hands and clammed up as he felt an ache in his chest. As he expected, Jin Ling really wanted nothing to do with him. Even though Wei Wuxian had told him specifically not to explain his real reasons, and even as he feared Jin Ling would throw him out for good, he didn’t feel he had a choice.

“I’m sorry, Master Jin. I only…wanted to do something for you.”

Jin Ling made an odd face, glancing away and then back to Wen Ning. “Wh-…what do you mean? Why?”

“You know why, Master Jin,” Wen Ning said sadly, awkwardly shifting the books in his hands. “Because…I could be your servant from now until I’m nothing but dust, and it still wouldn’t make up for what I did.”

Jin Ling’s lips parted as if he would speak, but no sound came out. His eyes fluttered, tinged with red. Finally, he firmed up his jaw with a trace of anger. “If you know that already, then why bother? Nothing’s going to change what happened.”

Wen Ning really wanted to cry. It was good, he thought, that corpses couldn’t do that. “I don’t know. Every time I look at you, I think about them.”

“…my parents?” Jin Ling murmured with unusual innocence.

“Mm. The way they loved each other, I think often about how they would have doted on you. And how much you deserve someone who would do that for you,” Wen Ning said softly. He was looking at the ground in shame, so he missed the tortured expression moving across Jin Ling’s face. “Only…I’m a very poor substitute. I can only do things a childhood friend could do. Ah! I don’t mean to say that we’re friends! I…I know you couldn’t. But maybe I could be like another Fairy. I could play with you…fetch things for you…protect you…”

He realized Jin Ling’s breathing had heightened. The young man seemed to be struggling to cope with what he was saying. “Do you…even remember being human?” Jin Ling whispered.

Wen Ning felt a small twinge of pain in his chest, assuming that this was just an expression of disgust. But he obediently shook his head, truthfully. “I don’t think about it much, at least.”

Jin Ling scoffed, but now Wen Ning noticed the drops of water threatening to fall from his eyes. “What if I asked you to do something cruel or humiliating? What if I asked you to get yourself eaten by wolves? Or…run around naked? You wouldn’t do those things.”

But Wen Ning nodded without a thought. “If you want me to, I would.”

“…eh….?” Jin Ling peeped, staring at him.

“I don’t have much sense of shame or self-preservation anymore. I do think I could do anything you asked me,” Wen Ning assured him diligently.

“…anything…?”

Wen Ning nodded. “Mm.”

Jin Ling looked a little lost for a moment, gazing at the ground. He clenched a hand over his chest in a surprisingly cute gesture of uncertainty. “Yesterday…” he began suddenly, but trailed off.

“Hm?”

“M-…my cousin, Jin Chan…teased me. He said I’d…ngh,” he growled angrily in the middle of speaking. “He said I’d be a virgin forever because I have a bad personality!”

“Ah…” Wen Ning murmured, subtly agreeing without thinking too deeply. But then he began to feel a little queasy as he wondered where Jin Ling might be going with this. “M-master Jin…I should just say, I did say I’d let you do anything to me, but…as far as kidnapping someone-“

“I didn’t say kidnap someone, did I?!”

Wen Ning nodded and patiently let him continue.

Jin Ling shifted his jaw in an attempt to control his anger, but he could do nothing to hide the hot shame on his cheeks. “You…you’ve done things…with Wei Wuxian, haven’t you?”

Wen Ning blinked in shock at the fact that Jin Ling somehow knew about that. He couldn’t think of any reason to hide the fact though. He nodded. 

“So…you can teach me?”

The ghost general considered, tilting his head reluctantly. “I wouldn’t say it’s impossible…but I’m sure there are better teachers. I have so little experience, and Master Wei says my body is quite cold. It would not be very comfortable.”

“I don’t care about that,” Jin Ling grumbled. “I’m tired of being a virgin. And…I don’t see anyone else lining up to help me.”

Wen Ning’s chest ached for him. He stuffed the books he’d brought back in his sleeve and hesitantly placed a comforting hand on Jin Ling’s shoulder. “Just because it’s hard for some people to see doesn’t mean you don’t have your own charm, and worth. Don’t despair.”

Jin Ling seemed on the verge of tears, but perhaps he was getting more mature as he got used to the duties of a sect leader. He was able to hold back from crying on this occasion. “…then…if I had asked you this before? When you were still human? What would you have said?”

With such an innocent question, Wen Ning couldn’t help himself anymore. He gathered Jin Ling in his arms and held him tightly from behind. Jin Ling let out a small gasp, but didn’t try to get away. “Well…to be honest, I would have been quite afraid of your family. But I would have been very honored.”

Jin Ling’s small fingers curled around Wen Ning’s sleeve, wrapped around his chest. He sniffed a little. “Take of your clothes,” he said abruptly. “Let me see.”

Wen Ning let him go and took a step back to begin removing his clothes. Though he felt a lingering doubt that Jin ling still seemed to not realize his own worth, if this helped him then he wouldn’t hesitate. In moments, he stood naked before the one to whom he owed such a great debt.

Jin Ling at first peeked around his shoulder and quickly looked away in embarrassment. Then he looked a little longer. He swallowed, nervously clutching at his own sleeves. “…aren’t you cold?” he asked quietly.

Wen Ning shook his head. “I don’t really feel cold or heat. Or at least no discomfort from it.”

Jin Ling’s eyes hesitantly scanned the length of Wen Ning’s body. “You…have less scars than I thought.”

“Mn. All the ones after I died eventually heal themselves.”

“…how old were you?”

Wen Ning tilted his head curiously at the question. He realized Jin Ling must be asking about when he died. “Eighteen,” he said quietly.

Jin Ling blinked up at him, seeming surprised by this answer. “Only a year older than me…?”

Wen Ning wasn’t sure why he was asking about this. He frowned in thought but couldn’t come up with an answer. “Master Jin…?” he prompted, curiously. 

Jin Ling didn’t answer at first. He pondered for a moment on his own, then walked closer to view Wen Ning’s body from up close, his embarrassment slowly seeming to fade. “Your body is…a lot different than mine,” he murmured.

Wen Ning nodded. “Master Jin is very graceful and attractive. I’m quite clumsy and oafish by comparison.”

Jin Ling blinked, looking embarrassed again. “No, I didn’t…there’s nothing wrong with the way you look.”

Wen Ning highly doubted whether that was true: even if he had been attractive before, he couldn’t hope anyone could find a corpse good-looking. But he patiently allowed Jin Ling to get his fill of looking at him. 

“Your…that. It’s different from mine too,” Jin Ling mumbled.

When he realized what Jin Ling was looking at, Wen Ning nodded again. “Everyone’s is a little different.”

“Really…?”

Wen Ning nodded. “I’m sorry my body isn’t normal, so it won’t be much good as a reference, but if you’re curious you can touch any part you like.”

Jin Ling’s lips parted. He looked over various parts of Wen Ning’s body with growing curiosity. He did indeed reach out and slide his fingers down Wen Ning’s chest. Wen Ning didn’t have very many active nerve endings, but it still felt good – if only psychologically – to be touched at all. He was a little surprised when, after only a few moments exploring the contours of his chest, Jin Ling’s hand grasped directly onto Wen Ning’s cock.

He let out a small gasp. He would not have thought the pouting, inexperienced young master would be so bold. But he had already agreed to whatever Jin Ling wanted to do with him, so he obediently allowed such abrupt advances.

Jin Ling momentarily gasped too. “It’s…getting hard…?”

“Ah…I’m sorry, Master Jin. I can try to calm down, if it bothers you.”

“…is it because of me?”

Wen Ning frowned curiously at him, wondering who else could be provoking this reaction in him. “Master Jin…it is difficult not to feel anything when touched in this area.”

“Oh,” Jin Ling responded, sounding somewhat disappointed. “So…normally, what…how does one…”

Wen Ning tilted his head. “You want to know how two people start to be intimate with each other?”

Jin Ling gave a surprisingly cute nod, his eyes still trained rather lasciviously on Wen Ning’s cock. 

Wen Ning considered. Unfortunately, his only real frame of reference was the one time Wei Wuxian had imposed on him. He decided that, since it had seemed to feel good for both of them, and Wei Wuxian was something of a god of sex in his eyes, that experience was probably good enough to be of reference.

“May I show you?” he asked Jin Ling. 

The younger man blinked somewhat nervously, but he nodded. Wen Ning walked over and sat on the bed nearby. He pointed down toward his lap. “Master Wei sat here. He took some time convincing me that it would be all right to do things together, even though Second Master Lan would be upset.”

“…shameless…” Jin Ling mumbled. But moments later he swallowed. He hesitantly approached the bed. With shaking hands, he kept himself steady by holding onto Wen Ning’s shoulders as he followed Wen Ning’s description and took a seat on his lap. “And…then what?”

Wen Ning surprised himself by feeling his own cock twitch at Jin Ling’s obedient and almost affectionate behavior. It felt a little like a rare seeking out of affection from a cantankerous cat. He reminded himself he was here for Jin Ling, he shouldn’t get distracted. 

“He told me to hold him. Just like this at first.” Wen Ning’s hands gathered around Jin Ling’s narrow waist. Master Wei was relatively small, Wen Ning remarked, but he could almost fit his fingers around Jin Ling’s waifish waist. Jin Ling shivered a little at the coldness of his touch, but surprisingly he leaned in against him for support. 

“And then…?”

“I agreed. And he kissed me.”

Jin Ling’s eyelashes fluttered, his breath hitched. “H-…how?”

Wen Ning encouraged Jin Ling to wrap his arms around his neck, drawing him closer until their faces where only inches apart. “First a teasing one on my cheek,” he said.

Jin Ling swallowed. Though trembling, he pressed a small kiss against Wen Ning’s cheek. “Like this?”

Wen Ning nodded. “Then he brushed his lips against mine, slowly, without much pressure. He opened his mouth to push my lips apart and then pressed his hard into mine, opening and closing his lips, twisting his head, almost like begging.”

Jin Ling’s breath was coming hard, seeming to experience more difficulty the longer he listened to Wen Ning speak. He approached his lips with a trembling breath. He cautiously let his lips brush against Wen Ning’s, but seemed to lose his courage for a moment. He retreated just an inch, restoring his breath. And then he kissed Wen Ning hard, clinging tightly to him with clear desire but no skill. 

Wen Ning’s only comparison was of course Wei Wuxian, and though Wei Wuxian was undoubtedly skillful, and he had felt good at the time and cared for Wei Wuxian very much, he had not felt half as good as he did now. He was overwhelmed by sweet and affectionate feelings for Jin Ling, which he was rather ashamed were now manifesting as sexual desire. He didn’t want to sully Jin Ling in this way, on the contrary he…he…

He felt an ache in his chest as he realized that what he really wanted from Jin Ling was neither to be his friend nor to do sexual things with him. He wanted to take care of him because…he wanted to be able to show him love. If anything, he thought, feeling this way was possibly his worst crime against Jin Ling. He wished he hadn’t realized it, especially at a time like this. Forget it, he told himself. Just give him what he needs.

Jin Ling was adorable the way he gave out little gasps in between clumsy kisses. But after a while, Wen Ning noticed he didn’t seem to know how to continue.

“Master Jin?” he said cautiously. “It feels even better to use one’s tongue.”

“T-…tongue?” Jin Ling gasped, seeming flustered. 

Wen Ning nodded. He clasped Jin Ling’s small and delicate cheek in his large, cold hand. He pressed their lips close together and parted Jin Ling’s with his own. He slid his tongue temptingly inside, urging Jin Ling’s to join him. Jin Ling let out a small cry and his hips inadvertently twitched up against Wen Ning’s, sending pleasant sensations through both of them. Jin Ling melted against Wen Ning as he clumsily answered the teasing caresses of Wen Ning’s tongue with his own. 

Jin Ling’s voice was growing higher and more adorable the longer they continued. Wen Ning followed Wei Wuxian’s instruction from the last time and explored the curves of Jin Ling’s body with unhurried caresses. Jin Ling’s small frame was cutely responsive to Wen Ning’s smallest touch, seeming to be coming more and more undone with desire. 

“Ah…ah…” Jin Ling panted against Wen Ning’s lips, as Wen Ning lightly squeezed his buttocks. His hips bucked against Wen Ning’s and suddenly they both fell back onto the bed, Jin Ling still straddling Wen Ning’s waist. 

Jin Ling gasped as the most sensitive parts of their bodies touched, with his own clothes between them. “Ah…” he moaned. His fingers dug into Wen Ning’s skin. He instinctively thrust his hips against Wen Ning’s to feel more of the tantalizing sensation. “Ah! Ah…kiss…more…” he moaned sweetly.

Wen Ning obediently clasped his face in one hand, and wrapped his other arm around the small of Jin Ling’s back to prevent him from wiggling around in embarrassment too much. While indulging in deep kisses, he held Jin Ling tightly in his arms and began thrusting their hips together. 

Jin Ling let out strangled wails against his lips, only heightening both their excitement. To Wen Ning’s surprise, rather than struggle in shame against the pleasure he was feeling, Jin Ling’s hips twitched enthusiastically against his own while he willingly allowed Wen Ning’s tongue deep inside his mouth. Though his cries into Wen Ning’s mouth indeed sounded embarrassed, they were thick and honeyed with pleasure too. 

Eventually, Wen Ning barely needed to move as Jin Ling desperately thrust his hips against him, seeking release. His lips broke away from Wen Ning’s as he let out more and more pleasure-filled cries, digging his fingers into Wen Ning’s skin and arching his back. 

“It’s so good…what is this…?” Jin Ling cried. 

“It’s all right, Master Jin. Just relax and let yourself feel good.”

“Ahhh….!” Jin Ling cried. “Ah…ah…it’s so good…is…is this sex…?”

Wen Ning wasn’t sure how to answer that, so he didn’t. But moments later he didn’t have to, as Jin Ling twitched all over, let out several sharp cries and thrust clumsily against Wen Ning as a damp spot formed over his trousers. He collapsed in a trembling heap on top of Wen Ning. 

“Am I…not a virgin now…?” he panted softly in his ear.

Wen Ning hesitated. “…I think some people would say so,” he equivocated eventually.

Jin Ling seemed satisfied with this and the strength seemed to drain from his body. Wen Ning realized awkwardly that he had already fallen asleep on top of him. He pondered what might be best to do in this situation. It couldn’t be comfortable to sleep on top of a corpse, he thought. He also remembered from when he was alive the discomfort of waking up from a wet dream with damp trousers. But on the other hand, the poor innocent youth was sleeping so peacefully on top of him, he was very reluctant to move at all.

He waited for almost two hours for Jin Ling to fall into a deeper sleep, lying motionless and contemplating the nature of the universe as the young man’s breathing in his ear slowly became more regular. When he was satisfied he wouldn’t be easily woken, he very slowly shifted Jin Ling onto his back on the bed. He cautiously removed his trousers and searched the room for some fresh ones, replacing them before covering the youth in a blanket. 

He met Wei Wuxian in the Cloud Recesses the next day. Wei Wuxian seemed to gather from his expression that the night had not been an unpleasant one, and hooked his arm around his neck playfully. “Well? What did I tell you. He’s a total pushover, right?”

Wen Ning tilted his head hesitantly. “I would say I was the one who was pushed over.”

“…eh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	9. Freaky Lizard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiang Cheng swaps bodies with Lan Wangji. At first, the two try to hide it from their lovers. But when their plan goes awry, they manage to find a unique way to enjoy the situation.

Lan Wangji and Jiang Wanyin stared in roughly equivalent abject horror at each other. Or to be more precise, at themselves.

Just moments ago, they had each been night-hunting separately when they ended up following the same prey. The small and not particularly powerful lizard demon, which had nonetheless been picking off lone travelers and beggars from all throughout the Jiangnan region, realized it had been trapped in a pincer between the two great cultivators. As a last resort, it turned and flicked its tail in a wide arch, producing some kind of shockwave. 

Both cultivators were thrown back, Jiang Cheng’s back hitting a tree and Lan Wangji falling to one knee. While they were still shaking themselves off from the attack, the demon escaped in the gap between them. And in that moment, the two locked eyes. And realized at the same time the full extent of their predicament. 

“L-…Lan…Wang…ji…?” said Lan Wangji himself, inexplicably. 

Jiang Cheng meanwhile looked utterly shaken. He glanced down into his own hand to see the unfamiliar Sandu gripped inside it, as well as his clothes of garish blue and purple. At once, his hand snapped up to his forehead to confirm that it was embarrassingly bare. He looked over toward Lan Wangji with barely restrained horror, his ears growing red with shame and frustration.

“Mm,” he said in response to the other man’s earlier question.

“The demon…we have to find it!” cried Lan Wangji, attempting to run after it. 

In moments, however, he tripped on his long, luxurious, white robes and landed flat on his face. 

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes in an attempt to hold back his own frustration at seeing such a display. He said in a controlled voice, “Jiang Wanyin. Patience. It is close to dark. We are at a disadvantage.”

Lan Wangji, whose body was currently inhabited by his own brother-in-law, pushing himself up snarling from the ground. “Well what’s the alternative?! I’d die before letting anyone see me like this!”

Jiang Cheng, whose current inhabitant was Lan Wangji, considered, glancing down at his own clothes and sword. He nodded gravely in agreement. 

Lan Wangji sighed irritably, brushing dirt off of his formerly pristine clothes. Jiang Cheng’s jaw tightened to see that even his forehead ribbon was visibly dusty. “I’ll tell you one thing. Zewu-jun can’t know. And if Wei Wuxian finds out, I’ll kill him. Then myself.”

“Mm,” Jiang Cheng agreed without a change in expression.

Wangji shifted his jaw in contemplation. “So…what do we do?”

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment before he suggested simply, “Tonight, pretend. Try again tomorrow.”

“…pretend?” Wangji repeated dubiously. 

Jiang Cheng held his gaze and nodded. 

“And you think we can fool Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen?”

Jiang Cheng paused again to consider. His eventual answer was, “Xiong-zhang is…gullible. And Wei Ying is self-obsessed.” He nodded. “It is possible.”

Wangji blinked, but he had to agree. “So…pretend?”

“Pretend.”

The two met eyes and nodded soberly.

…

Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji shared some details of how they normally spent evenings in the Cloud Recesses, in order to help the other avoid casting suspicion. But as they only included information they themselves deemed relevant, and as the two shared almost no similar values, large gaps in key information went unnoticed. As Jiang Wanyin had promised to have dinner with Lan Xichen this evening, Lan Wangji would be the first to be tested. 

Though he knew his brother better than anyone, and Jiang Wanyin well enough, Wangji could not help feeling mildly sick to his stomach with anxiety. It seemed utterly wrong to deceive his trusting brother in any way. On the other hand, he could not bear the shame of anyone, in particular his dear brother, knowing that a careless mistake on his behalf had caused such a humiliating situation. 

“Wanyin,” Lan Xichen greeted him at the door to his chamber with a smile so dazzling it made Wangji’s heart beat a little faster. “Come in, everything is ready.”

“Nh,” Wangji grunted, trying to keep his expression neutral. He resisted the urge to bow, knowing that Jiang Cheng rarely did so to anyone, and was frequently too insecure to do it to Lan Xichen in particular.

As the two sat, Lan Wangji attempted to furrow his brows, in his impression of Jiang Wanyin’s general demeanor of irritation and disapproval with everything that entered his sight. He thought he was doing quite well, but at one point Lan Xichen stopped eating and glanced up at him somewhat worriedly. 

“Wanyin…is your stomach upset?”

Wangji consciously smoothed his expression. He shook his head and quietly resumed eating, at which fortunately Xichen soon joined him. 

When they finished, Lan Xichen did something adorable and leaned his chin on his hand to gaze affectionately at Jiang Cheng. “You went out after that lizard demon today, didn’t you? How did it go?”

Wangji nodded. He quickly tried to picture Jiang Cheng’s normal speaking register, but somehow only just now realized that he struggled at communication in the best of times. Trying to impersonate someone else on top of that was almost impossible. He decided simplicity was probably best. “I will get it tomorrow.”

“It got away from you? How rare,” Xichen commented with mild concern. “Could you use some assistance tomorrow?”

Wangji quickly shook his head. “Not necessary.”

Xichen accepted this with a nod. For some time he remained silent, and Wangji was just beginning to wonder whether he should excuse himself when he noticed Xichen’s gaze on him was extremely warm. His elder brother’s mouth curved softly up in a sweet smile. 

“Wanyin,” he said, in a tone of voice that Wangji had never heard him use before. It was soft and inviting, almost a caress on the ears. He moved his larger hand to press very softly against Jiang Cheng’s fingertips on the table. “Tonight, if you are willing…would you stay a little longer?”

Wangji prided himself on his immense emotional control. But this body was used to displaying its emotions immediately and without the slightest obstruction. His cheeks felt hot before he even realized it himself. He could feel his heart thundering as if to leap out of his throat. In all the time they had been together, Wei Wuxian had never approached him with so subtle, graceful and caring an advance. The knowledge that this was his brother briefly flew completely from his mind as his lips parted and he struggled to form even the smallest response.

“Wanyin?” Xichen asked softly, sounding a little worried at Jiang Cheng’s continued silence. 

Wangji’s habits kicked in, and he reluctantly glanced up toward his caring elder brother, not wanting to worry him. He could not know of course that such an obedient gesture, for Jiang Wanyin, had a very different meaning than it did for Wangji. In fact, this was one of Jiang Cheng’s methods, when he was both extremely willing and extremely embarrassed, of asking Lan Xichen to take the lead.

Seeing this shy and innocent glance turn up toward him from his beloved, Xichen smiled warmly in response. 

Wangji did not know why, but at this point his brother moved across the table to sit directly next to him. Just as his heart flew into his throat only from this, he felt Xichen’s large and gentle hand caress his forehead to stroke bangs, an innocent gesture which nonetheless sent Wangji breathing roughly, his spine tingling. Xichen followed this with a kiss on Jiang Cheng’s hair, tender and unhurried, almost like a parent would do. 

Wangji tried to steady his breathing, but each inward breath caused him to become more aware of his brother’s scent of sandalwood and something more masculine and steady than his own scent. He was extremely conscious of how close Xichen was sitting to him, and how easily his larger body could surround Jiang Cheng’s if he chose. No matter how hard he tried to calm his spirit, Wangji could not stop thinking of that night that Wei Wuxian had borrowed Lan Xichen’s body. His mind quickly got carried away, wondering what Xichen might do to him. 

It was not only that. Xichen was of course kind with everyone, but he was always somewhat wary around Wangji. For good reason. Wangji was probably the only person alive who was really a threat to him, and one of the few who ever dared try his strength. Wangji had never seen him so confident, so manly and protective. It made him shiver. And not in a bad way at all.

“I…should go…” Wangji mumbled, starting to rise.

“Eh? Wait, Wanyin,” Xichen said, grasping his hand, which had been resting on his knee. Wangji’s breath halted. Xichen’s hand was so much bigger than Jiang Cheng’s. “I’m sorry. I should have asked permission properly before doing intimate things. Does this amount of touching bother you?”

Wangji’s heart, which had been working overtime, suddenly felt squeezed. He had never imagined his brother would be this deferential with the one he loved. And even as he was starting to feel deeply guilty for deceiving him, there was no describing how good it felt to be on the receiving end of such tender attention. He wondered if he had ever made Wei Wuxian feel this way.

Wangji couldn’t quite bring himself to answer, but unconsciously his hand squeezed Xichen’s fingers. Xichen let out a breath of relief. He held Wangji’s hand a little tighter. “Are you sure there’s nothing bothering you? You’re very quiet tonight.”

“Nothing,” Wangji answered quickly, as if speaking alone would be enough to convince him. 

“…Wanyin. I won’t go any further if you don’t wish to. And you are welcome to leave whenever you wish. But can you tell me, one word is enough, whether you want to continue this evening or not?”

Wangji was overwhelmed by these tender feelings for his brother. Instinctively, he felt the urge to say his name rising up in his throat, simply asking for help as he had done since they were children. But if he used his normal term of respect for him, he would give himself away immediately. He realized there was only one thing he could say.

With a look of soft pleading, he looked up at him and murmured softly, “…Xichen…”

Xichen’s breath caught. Slowly, he gathered Jiang Cheng’s face in both his hands and gazed at him in admiration. Wangji could not look away from his brother’s serene and beautiful face, seeming to loom so much larger over him than usual. He felt instantly safe under his touch, and felt his eyes fluttering with the urge to simply give in.

Xichen’s lips caressed his own. His kisses were soft, imploring. Wangji felt himself answering them almost unconsciously. Xichen indulged in gradually deeper and deeper kisses until he drew back a little, placing a final kiss on Jiang Cheng’s cheek, then gathering the smaller man’s body in his arms and holding him tightly.

“Wanyin,” he whispered gently. “I love you.”

A painful mix of guilt and happiness at hearing these words made Wangji’s fingers tighten against Xichen’s clothing. He should stop this. But while he was still fighting with himself, Xichen’s hands roamed up his back. His breath left his body in a deep and pleasurable shudder.

Xichen breathed in deeply from the skin of his neck, making him shiver. “You do seem especially shy this evening…but you’re not saying the safe word, so that means it’s all right, isn’t it?”

Lan Wangji’s eyes went wide. They had such a thing? Why had Jiang Cheng not thought to tell him so? He opened his mouth but no sound emerged as he tried to guess what a shared word for stopping sex might be between these two, and nothing came to him. 

And as he was still struggling to think, his brother’s tongue slipped inside his mouth. With that, all sentient thought left his mind for a time as he was ravaged by pleasant sensations, his unfamiliar and comparatively weak body wiggling impatiently in Lan Xichen’s broad, iron-like arms. 

His tongue. It was so large inside his mouth. Even though its movements were not forceful, there was nowhere for him to escape from the sensations it gave him. Twining with his own, tasting him, caressing the roof of his mouth. Wangji felt all the strength leaving his back and instinctively leaned into Xichen’s embrace. Even just in doing so, he inadvertently became more conscious of the hardness and strength of his brother’s body, which could easily fling him around like a toy but only ever touched gently. 

He was next conscious of his hands. So dexterous, so large, roaming everywhere over Jiang Cheng’s body and sometimes squeezing down. They curved around his ass. Wangji yelped, as – even when he occasionally sought after this kind of intimacy from his brother – he was almost always the aggressor. Even when Wei Wuxian had been inhabiting this body, there had not been such grace or sense of security in his movements. Despite his fear at what would happen to him if he gave in, Wangji’s hips began to feel warm and shift impatiently against his will.

“No…can’t…” he mumbled, though there was no heart in his words.

“You can’t?” Xichen repeated sadly. He held Wangji by the small of his back and moved his other hand up to stroke his hair comfortingly. “I don’t mind being on the bottom,” he said gently, sending a thrill of unexpected excitement through the core of Wangji’s body. “But your reactions are so cute this evening. I think you’re feeling it more than usual.”

As if to test this, Xichen’s large and intimidating hand instead reached down and clasped Jiang Cheng on the front of his body. Wangji drew in a shaking breath, clinging to his brother’s arms in desperation. Jiang Cheng’s body was extremely sensitive, no doubt familiar with Xichen’s touch and even more sensitized to it. 

“How is it?” Xichen asked him, gazing attentively at his face.

Wangji couldn’t possibly answer that he would cum immediately if he lost his concentration. He wanted to urge Xichen not to move his hand, but it felt so good he could not articulate anything he wanted to say. Instead he merely fell back on old habits again.

“Xichen…” he gasped.

At hearing his voice in such a passionate whisper, with his lover’s eyes somehow appearing unusually pure and obedient, Xichen’s control also seemed to run away from him. He gathered Jiang Cheng into his arms and carried him to bed. 

Wangji’s heart was pounding at the feeling of being carried so easily in his brother’s vast arms. As soon as he was on his back on the bed, Xichen’s lips caressed and then his teeth bit sharply into his neck. Wangji sighed, his fingers tightening over Xichen’s broad shoulders. He had flashes of uncertainty as Xichen quickly undressed them both just enough, and reached into a cabinet by the bedside for a vial of viscous liquid. But when those long and dexterous fingers slid inside his experienced hole, Wangji nearly forgot who he was.

He used every ounce of self-control not to moan. But his best efforts could not hide the pleasure in his gasping breaths. Xichen held him so securely. Wangji could feel the love in his fingertips, his breath, the way his lips lingered over Jiang Cheng’s skin. Even knowing it was not for him, the feeling was intoxicating. 

And then Xichen began to push his throbbing length inside him. Wangji’s breath stopped. He arched his back, his whole body tensing. He could not hold back the pleasure for one second more. 

“Agh!” he cried, twitching against his brother’s large body over him. He came onto his own partially clothed chest.

Xichen too gasped and immediately claimed Jiang Cheng’s mouth in a deep and reckless kiss. “Wanyin!” he gasped. “You’re twitching so much around me…it’s almost like the first time. Does it hurt?”

Wangji helplessly shook his head, but internally he was at war between immense pleasure and crushing guilt. But as soon as he began to relax from his orgasm, and Xichen took this as a cue to move, he forgot everything that he had been worried about. 

The pleasure of Xichen’s huge cock sliding slowly but unstoppably in and out of his hole was torturous. He kept losing his breath as he struggled not to cry out. He soon felt dizzy and wasn’t sure he would be able to keep from cumming again immediately. All he could do was cling to his brother’s firm back and whisper his name. 

“Wanyin…” Xichen gasped in response, over and over. “I can’t hold back…I’m going to-“

“Lan Wangji!!!”

Neither man had heard the door open and both gasped and then froze, staring at the inexplicable: a panting, enraged Lan Wangji, who had for some reason just shouted his own name. Standing nearby in the open doorway, but looking equally confused, was Wei Wuxian too. 

“Heh heh…Lan Zhan…have you been drinking? What are you saying your own name for?” Wei Wuxian asked him with a confused smile. 

Xichen blushed at their entrance, hurriedly sweeping Jiang Cheng behind him to hide him from view, as he covered his own front with the partial garments he still wore. “Wangji…this is outrageous. What has gotten into you?”

“Hmph,” Wangji scoffed, entering the room without permission and further shocking his brother. 

Still unsure what was going on but clearly fascinated by the whole thing, Wei Wuxian came in after him and closed the door behind him. 

“Good question,” Wangji barked toward Xichen. “Indeed, what has gotten into Hanguang-jun? Other than an immoral lust for his own flesh and blood.”

But Lan Xichen’s confusion, and his flush, clearly only deepened at these words. Wei Wuxian meanwhile was tilting his head and biting his lip in deep thought. He frowned curiously between Jiang Cheng, still mostly hidden behind Xichen’s body, and Lan Wangji. 

Though looking at Lan Wangji, he said casually, “Jiang Cheng.”

“Ah?” Lan Wangji demanded irritably, his focus still on the two in front of him.

Xichen took in a sharp breath, looking as if he had been dunked in ice water. “…Wanyin…?”

Wei Wuxian’s face quickly lit up with joy. He peeked behind Lan Xichen’s shoulder and proclaimed, “Lan Zhan!”

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and shied away from his gaze, but he did not deny it. 

“Yes, yes, cat’s out of the bag, we all know now!” Wangji raged, though now known by all to be Jiang Cheng. “How very difficult to find the whole thing amusing to find one’s lover in bed with his own brother!”

“Is it? That sounds hot,” Wei Wuxian objected, grinning at the bashful Jiang Cheng, still partly hidden behind Xichen. 

“…why did you come here?” Jiang Cheng muttered, seemingly toward Lan Wangji. 

“Why do you think?! You didn’t tell me this little devil begs for sex every night like a goddamn succubus!” Wangji roared, pointing harshly at Wei Wuxian. “I only managed to sneak out with my purity intact, unlike some people!”

Xichen still seemed to be in shock. Slowly, he turned behind him to gaze at the face of his lover, unable to hide the betrayal from his own. “Wangji…?” he asked softly.

Jiang Cheng’s jaw tightened, but Xichen would be able to tell that the innocent expression there was Lan Wangji’s, not Jiang Wanyin’s. “Xiong-zhang…I’m sorry.”

“Aw…Lan Da-ge,” Wei Wuxian said sweetly. “Don’t look like that. You know it’s only because they both love you so much. Here, I’ll make you feel better.”

With that, Wei Wuxian straddled Xichen’s waist on the bed and instantly trapped him in a passionate kiss. 

“Wei Ying!” “Bastard!” cried the other two simultaneously.

Jiang Cheng grasped Wei Wuxian by the shoulders and pulled him away, surrounding him in his arms on the bed. Meanwhile Lan Wangji grasped Lan Xichen and pulled him up to his feet, holding him tightly and possessively. 

“Wanyin…” Lan Xichen murmured, hesitantly returning his embrace. 

“Nh…” Wangji, currently Jiang Cheng murmured, his head resting on Xichen’s shoulder. “I don’t blame you. My body with a better personality…that’s all you really want, isn’t it?”

Xichen gasped and hugged him tightly. “No. Not at all. Wanyin…I love you both, but…you’re the only one who makes me think my heart will break free from my chest. Your body doesn’t matter. The one who has all my heart is you. I’m sorry for not realizing sooner.”

As they reassured each other, Wei Wuxian shifted in Jiang Cheng’s arms and grinned at him. “Was it fun being held down by Big Brother?”

“…no.”

“Mm? You know you’re still hard and dripping.”

Lan Wangji looked away with a blush, his eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. 

“Did Big Brother leave you wanting more?” Wei Wuxian teased him softly.

Though Wangji’s embarrassment had reached its peak, so had his patience. He wrapped his arms around Wei Wuxian’s neck and murmured simply, “Yes.”

“He he! Don’t worry. I know what you need.”

He did not hesitate to push Wangji down, though savoring the unusual sensations of Jiang Cheng’s skin under his fingers along the way, and kissed him as he quickly untied his own trousers. Not even caring that they were on Lan Xichen’s bed with two other people staring at them, Wei Wuxian took great pleasure in encouraging moans from his husband trapped in his brother’s body.

“Ah! Wei Ying!” Wangji cried in Jiang Cheng’s higher and more desperate voice. 

Wei Wuxian shivered, briefly pausing from thrusting inside him. “Shit…this is bad. I hadn’t thought about what it would be like hearing your honest reactions, Lan Zhan…do you always feel it this much?”

In answer, Wangji merely turned his head toward his husband’s and demanded a deep kiss, which Wei Wuxian was happy to oblige.

Both Twin Jades of Lan were currently watching this display with deep embarrassment. But Jiang Cheng soon used Wangji’s larger body to wrap Xichen in his arms possessively. 

“Wanyin…” Xichen murmured gently, grasping his arm in return. 

“Xichen,” Jiang Cheng said with unusual softness, strumming Xichen’s heart with Lan Wangji’s low voice in his ear. “I want to fuck you.”

“Ahh…” Xichen sighed, his hips buckling. 

Jiang Cheng held him and helped him to lay down on the floor. He propped himself up over him and looked down at him seriously, his ever-present discontentment rather cutely furrowing Lan Wangji’s stoic brows. “Can I?” he asked.

Xichen lifted up his hands and held Wangji’s face, so deeply in love with Jiang Cheng but also helplessly attracted to him in this body. “I always want to feel you as deeply as possible, Wanyin. Tonight in particular…I don’t mind if you’re a little rough.”

Wangji’s brows became furious. “Don’t say things like that! You’re…precious,” he added, turning away with a deep blush.

“Wanyin…” Xichen murmured, and couldn’t wait anymore before pulling him down and indulging in deep kisses. 

On the bed, Wei Wuxian briefly stopped what he was doing as he noticed their situation on the floor. “Jiang Cheng!” he said, holding up the vial that the other pair had used. 

Jiang Cheng didn’t even glance at him but he held up his hand. Wei Wuxian tossed it and he caught it effortlessly with Lan Wangji’s reflexes. He looked down at Xichen with helpless affection for some time before he dripped the fluid over his fingers, then pressed them between Xichen’s legs. 

Xichen shuddered and instinctively widened his legs, also pulling Jiang Cheng closer. He let out such sweet gasps whenever he was being opened up that Jiang Cheng often could do nothing else but listen. Now, with Lan Wangji’s extremely sensitive hearing, he was having to struggle not to cum just from the sound. 

“Wanyin…!” Xichen gasped as his fingers found his prostate. “Ah! Don’t…I’ll cum too soon…”

“Because you were getting friendly with your brother,” Jiang Cheng grumbled bitterly. 

Xichen craned his neck up a little to whisper directly into Jiang Cheng’s ear, so close he could feel his breath against the sensitive skin. “Then make me forget. Make me forget about anyone else. Show me I belong to you, Wanyin.”

Jiang Cheng took in rough breaths at these challenging words. Xichen was normally never so bold. He realized he probably felt guilty, and needed reassurance that Jiang Cheng still cared about him. But though he had been angry and felt betrayed that Lan Wangji was usurping his role, and his body, he actually shared Wei Wuxian’s stance that – although in general it was immoral – there was nothing wrong with the sight of these Twin Jades enjoying each other’s company. Even if there were, he would have to be crazy to ever fall out of love with this perfect human being currently shivering with pleasure beneath him. 

He carefully dragged his fingers out. Nuzzling against Xichen’s neck, he began to press his way deep inside him. But only moments after he got the tip inside, both men shuddered and moaned out loud. Neither was used to this. Xichen struggled to accept Wangji’s size, and Jiang Cheng had never felt him clamping down so hard. It took nearly a full minute of patience to push all the way inside.

Once there though, it felt so good that Jiang Cheng could barely move. “Xichen…!” he gasped, clinging to him. It felt surprisingly good to be able to match his love in height while holding him this way. 

“Wanyin…Wanyin…don’t move…” Xichen whispered, his fingers digging into Wangji’s skin. 

“I can’t anyway…you’re so tight…I’ll cum if I move,” Jiang Cheng assured him softly.

Xichen took in and let out several calming breaths. “All right…I’m getting used to it,” he murmured. 

Jiang Cheng swallowed. To put it mildly, he was not. And though in reality he only ever wanted to be kind to Lan Xichen, to make him feel cared-for and valued, Lan Wangji’s body was not used to stopping once getting started. In spite of himself, Jiang Cheng grasped Lan Xichen in a tight hold, growled softly into his ear and began pumping ruthlessly hard inside him.

Xichen’s low and husky voice rang out in desperate cries. “Wanyin…!” he gasped. He seemed to want to say more but each cogent thought was forced straight out of his head by Wangji’s hard cock striking every pleasant place inside him without mercy. 

Only moments after this brutal thrusting had begun, Xichen let out a high-pitched cry and arched his back high against the floor as he came hard between their bodies. Jiang Cheng only paused briefly as he clamped down so tightly on him during his orgasm that it hurt a little. As soon as he relaxed a little in the afterglow, and even twitched around him a little, Jiang Cheng sighed in frustration at the degree of his ow lust, but quickly flipped Lan Xichen over onto all fours. He grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled back on it as he fucked his lover with all Lan Wangji’s great strength.

“Ahhh!” Xichen cried out desperately. “Wanyin…Wanyin…” He could only cry out Jiang Cheng’s name over and over, his body trembling and barely holding itself up. 

Nearby, Wei Wuxian was thrusting so hard inside Jiang Cheng, hitting different spots than either Jiang Cheng’s body or Lan Wangji’s heart were used to, and was causing his husband to twitch repeatedly as he experience multiple dry orgasms. 

At seeing Wei Wuxian’s face twist with pleasure as he began to pump cum inside Jiang Cheng’s own body, Jiang Cheng himself gasped as he finally couldn’t stop the wave of pleasure any longer. He grasped Xichen tightly around his chest, biting softly into his neck like an animal, and slammed Wangji’s cock into his helpless brother just three more times, as hard as he could. As Xichen made a strangled noise as if he were barely holding on to consciousness, Jiang Cheng’s bite to his neck deepened and he finally let loose all Wangji’s cum inside him. 

Xichen’s arms crumpled beneath him and he slipped to the ground, trembling and gasping. Jiang Cheng reluctantly let go of Xichen’s neck, but sat up on his knees, still holding Xichen’s hips tight to his own, to admire the bite mark he had left there. The other two on the bed were also recovering from cumming, entangled in one another’s arms and kissing sweetly. 

But moments later, Jiang Cheng’s fingers tightened into Lan Xichen’s hips. Xichen gasped. “W-…Wanyin…?” he murmured blearily.

“Xichen…it’s not enough…” Jiang Cheng managed through clenched teeth, already having to hold himself back from thrusting again. 

Xichen shuddered, but Jiang Cheng felt his hole twitch enthusiastically around him. In an incredibly seductive moment, Xichen twisted his graceful body a little to give Jiang Cheng his profile, and reach back to grasp hungrily into Lan Wangji’s thigh behind him. 

“Wanyin…give me everything…” Xichen whispered, his eyes clearly dilated with pleasure. 

“Xichen!” Jiang Cheng gasped.

He slammed deep inside him once again, sending Xichen’s increasingly desperate cries echoing through the room. The other two seemed to need a little longer, and they contentedly snuggled against one another even as they watched the passionate lovemaking of the two stronger men. 

“Hm. Big Brother is probably lucky Jiang Cheng doesn’t have your body all the time,” Wei Wuxian observed, curling his finger playfully over Jiang Cheng’s chest. 

“Why so?” Wangji asked him. 

“Well. I certainly like rough treatment like that, but I’m a bit special,” he answered. “Normally Jiang Cheng doesn’t have the strength to fling Big Brother around. Zewu-jun needs a gentle hand, I think.”

Wangji paused, seeming uncertain. “Do…you prefer a gentle hand too?”

Wei Wuxian lifted his head to gaze at his husband in surprise. “Hm? Now and then I suppose.”

Jiang Cheng’s perpetually displeased expression made Wangji’s mild frustration look particularly sad. “…I will make an effort to be more careful.”

Wei Wuxian stared at him before bursting into laughter. 

“What is funny?”

“You! Ha ha.” Wei Wuxian curled his arms around him and grinned with eyes full of love at his husband. “You make me feel loved and precious every day. Every little thing you do fills me with joy. You know that? On the contrary, there are definitely times I want you to rough me up a little more. Got it?”

Wangji considered this, a touch of red reaching Jiang Cheng’s cheeks as he had no control over it at the moment. But eventually he shook his head, holding Wei Wuxian tightly to him. “There is always room for improvement.” Internally, he added that he doubted he would ever be able to match his brother in anything. The irony that his brother was currently coming undone due to the violent pounding of his own body was lost on Lan Wangji at the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	10. Warlord of Gusu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (If The Untamed took place in the Three Kingdoms Period.) Lan Wangji is the first general of the Gusu Kingdom, which has overrun the former imperial capitol of Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian becomes his prize of war, yet unbeknownst to him he won Wei Wuxian's heart long ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains some non-consensual touching, after the waterfall scene, but the main love scene is very consensual.

The Lan armies had swept through the capital city, Lotus Pier, abolishing any remains of the Jiang presence there. Though the imperial family had managed to escape, it was only due to the sacrifice of their most loyal retainer, who stayed behind.

Wei Wuxian had, unbeknownst to the Jiang family who raised him, already given up his golden core to his adoptive brother, knowing that Jiang Cheng could not protect his family without one. Moreover, since Wei Wuxian could not believe their enemies, the Lan, were truly evil, his one remaining method of fighting them was useless. Truthfully, it wasn’t much of a fight. 

In mere moments, the last of his petty tricks was seen through. Wei Wuxian grinned as he was beaten to the ground and forced to kneel before the second most powerful cultivator and first general of the Kingdom of Gusu. Lord Harboring Light, Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan.

Lan Wangji was dressed in shining, ice-textured armor, still pristine even though he should have had to fight his way here. Indeed, only the blade of his crystalline silver and white sword, Bichen, showed evidence of the fray, as it dripped the blood of Jiang soldiers onto the palace floor. The breeze that flowed pleasantly through the palace, though it was now marred by cries of agony in the distance, lapped at his luxurious black hair, half tied up in an exquisite silver diadem, and intersected by the characteristic white forehead ribbon of the Lan.

His eyes, of a surprisingly warm, wood color, were the only part of his face which conveyed any emotion at all, as they gazed intensely at Wei Wuxian. It was both disturbing and moving the way he equally resembled a heavenly general as he did a porcelain doll, Wei Wuxian thought. But he still smiled up at him as if he were simply a dinner guest.

Yet Wei Wuxian's casual attitude only seemed to draw further displeasure from the Lan general. "Why do you not carry your sword?" he demanded.

Wei Wuxian chuckled. "Don't know. Maybe your swordsmanship isn't enough to excite me."

Unsurprisingly, the anger surged even further behind the cold earthen color of Lan Wangji's eyes. In spite of his dire circumstances, Wei Wuxian shivered a little from excitement just looking at him.

The elder of the two Lan brothers, and King of Gusu, Lan Xichen, soon entered the hall as well. He flicked a few drops of blood from his sword, Shuoyue, and sheathed it before nodding in greeting to his brother and then catching sight of Wei Wuxian, bleeding on his knees on the floor. A trace of pity overtook the face so similar to the younger’s but much softer and more mature.

The Gusu king came to stand beside his brother to observe Wei Wuxian, making a beautiful matched set with his general. “Master Wei,” Xichen said with a trace of regret. 

Wei Wuxian grinned up at him. “Zewu-jun. Oh, sorry, it’s ‘Your Highness’ now, isn’t it?”

Xichen tilted his head with a smile that looked somewhat forced. “For the moment, that will do. But in fact I believe the correct title from now on should be ‘Your Imperial Majesty.’”

Wei Wuxian shook his head with a sigh. “A pity. I think humility suits you much better, Big Brother Lan.”

Xichen gave a small nod, and now there was noticeable pain in his smile. “Sadly, I agree.” He turned to his brother and asked him softly, “Have your soldiers finishing clearing the palace of Jiang forces?”

Lan Wangji nodded without taking his eyes off Wei Wuxian, or even moving an inch otherwise. 

Xichen paused momentarily, truly seeming to feel burdened by the idea of conquest. He had no choice of course, which was precisely why Wei Wuxian was being so contrary with him at the moment. He enjoyed taking jabs at that kind of unresolvable tension.

The Lan Kingdom had some months ago been attacked by the Jiang, as the latter sought to increase the span of their own empire. If the Lan did not retaliate, lesser kingdoms would attack them from all sides in order to earn the Jiang’s approval, and more land for their own people. Wei Wuxian had no opinion one way or the other about who was right, but he knew he couldn’t ever abandon those to whom he owed his life, and that was the Jiang.

“The imperial family,” Wangji said in a low voice, apparently toward his brother but still gazing hard at Wei Wuxian, “have escaped.”

Xichen did look somewhat relieved to hear this. “I see.”

Lan Wangji pointed his sword directly at Wei Wuxian’s throat. “Where would they go?” he demanded.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes flicked down to Bichen’s tip, but his smile didn’t fade. Instead, he tilted his head coquettishly and addressed Lan Wangji sweetly, “This is familiar. All that time we spent going through that hellish training under Master Qiren together. Do you still remember the library, Lan Zhan? When you so heartlessly tore up my-“

“Stop,” Wangji said loudly. The forceful sound from him was so unusual that Xichen looked startled. Softly raised breaths were emerging from Wangji as he glowered at Wei Wuxian in barely contained rage. His jaw tightened, and he managed to regulate his breathing. “The Jiang family’s location. Speak.”

But before he could bait him again, the elder Lan sighed, shaking his head. “He won’t tell us, Wangji.” Under his breath, he added, “You know Master Wei better than most. Even if his family’s lives did not depend on it, our very persistence on the matter will ensure he says nothing, simply out of enjoyment of our frustration. Is this not so?”

Wangji’s brows twitched together in anguish, but he could not deny it. 

Wei Wuxian laughed. “You know me so well, Your Imperial Majesty,” he said, with thick sarcasm as if to prove the point.

“Mm,” Xichen affirmed regretfully to himself. “Yes. Thank you, Master Wei. As I suspected, indeed I do not like being called that title. How unfortunate.” He placed a very soft and hesitant hand on his brother’s shoulder, hoping to ease his tension. “Wangji. He is not a danger now. Come away.”

Though it seemed like a very narrow decision for him, Wangji eventually seemed to decide to obey his brother, now his emperor. He flicked Bichen to remove the Jiang soldiers’ blood and sheathed it, then reluctantly followed Xichen a short distance away, to a veranda overlooking the square where battle was coming to an end. 

But with Wei Wuxian’s keen hearing, they had not moved far enough for him to be unable to hear even the soft conversation between the Twin Jades of Lan.

“Wangji…I’ve been thinking. About Uncle’s plan-“

“I will do it.”

Xichen sighed with heavy sadness. “Wangji. I was going to say, it’s all right. I’m sure it is better if I do it anyway, politically. And I know there are more important things in the world, but at this rate I am truly afraid that you will never-“

“Your Majesty,” Wangji said firmly, the purity in his tone wiping away without a trace the earlier sarcasm with which the word had been spoken. “This task, it is no hardship for me.”

There was a heavy pause of tension in the air between them before Xichen shook his head once again. “You would be unhappy,” he said with sincerity. “So would the other party. How would you even choose?”

Wei Wuxian thought Wangji’s head turned back a little toward him for a moment. Wei Wuxian tilted his head curiously, completely unable to follow this conversation. 

“Him.”

From this angle, Wei Wuxian was just able to see the noble king of Gusu’s jaw drop. “…him?” he repeated softly, subtly pointing to Wei Wuxian with his hand hidden behind his sleeve.

Me? Wei Wuxian wondered curiously as well.

Xichen seemed to struggle with how to respond. “He…is a close retainer of the Jiang…and certainly the highest ranking member here. But, Wangji, you understand…part of the reason for doing this is to produce an heir.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows shot up at that. What exactly were they planning on doing with him?

“Are there not enough orphans in the world? We must make more children?” Wangji replied coldly.

“…you don’t want a child of your own?”

“Children do not belong to anyone,” Wangji said calmly. “Those who care for them are their parents. Blood is not important.”

“…even so, my little brother, I’m afraid you’re not thinking this through. Forcing Master Wei into this arrangement…when he is the one you-“

“Xiong-zhang,” Wangji said sharply, reverting to his childhood way of calling him. In a more measured tone, he continued, “I will do it.”

Xichen seemed heartbroken at his brother’s resolve. But knowing its strength, he could only sigh. 

Wangji bowed to take his leave of Xichen. He walked back to the battered Wei Wuxian and towered over him like a frozen waterfall, the deepest cold of all in the wooden brown of his eyes. 

“You will be my first concubine.”

Wei Wuxian was so deeply in shock that he was sure for a moment he had misremembered the meaning of each of those words. When he thought carefully and realized he was not wrong, he propped his chin on his hand as he considered what Hanguang-jun could possibly mean by them. 

He eventually offered a worried laugh. “Second Master Lan…heh…you misspoke. You said ‘concubine.’”

“I did not misspeak.”

This took Wei Wuxian another few moments to come to terms with. He started to open his mouth to think of some witty reply, but found he could not part his lips. The silencing spell. 

“Mmmm!” he struggled to convey his displeasure. 

Suddenly, Lan Wangji raised his fist as if to strike him. Wei Wuxian instinctively flinched and turned his face away. But no strike came. He cautiously peeked an eye open. Wangji stood perfectly still, still ready to strike at any moment. 

“The first one is forgiven,” said Lan Wangji. The lack of malice in his threat was in itself quite frightening. “A concubine has no use outside the wishes of their master. They have no presence unless called for. The next disruption will come at a cost.”

Wei Wuxian felt no small amount of despair at these words. He would not realize until much later why exactly he felt such deep pain to be spoken of this way by Lan Wangji. But along with this feeling came a deep desire to push back. He was sure he could endure more pain, and could withstand more isolation, fear and loneliness, than this young master was capable of imposing on him. 

At the defiant and even slightly mischievous look in Wei Wuxian’s eyes, Lan Wangji raised his hand once again, but instead of a strike meant to harm, lightly slapped his forehead. From that moment, everything when dark.

…

When Wei Wuxian woke, his first sensation was extreme discomfort. He grunted and groaned as he tried to move his stiff body to get some blood flow. He realized with a momentary sense of cold dread that his hands were chained above his head. Not that he was much of a threat right now anyway, but with this it would be almost impossible to defend himself.

He looked around and quickly realized he was in a holding cell, dusty and wooden, blocked out from most outside light. He had brought prisoners of the Jiang here before himself. He realized these rooms seemed much larger when one was chained to the floor. 

After taking stock, and coming to the conclusion that for the moment at least there was no way out of this situation, he amused himself for a while by imagining ways he could get under Lan Wangji’s skin. That proved quite enjoyable, and kept him from the painful thoughts of his family for a couple of hours. 

Some time around mid-afternoon, which he could tell by the streaks of light peaking through the gaps in the wood, his cell door opened. His eyes strained against the afternoon light, but he could tell the clothing of the two people outside was Lan white. 

“Master Wei. You are to come with us.”

“Am I? Is it a party?” Wei Wuxian asked with a smirk.

“…you are to prepare yourself for your wedding ceremony.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart sank. Suddenly this didn’t seem funny anymore. He laughed weakly. “Come on…you don’t really believe that fuddy-duddy, do you? You don’t want your great general married off to a scoundrel like me, do you? Help me out…”

Though the two Lan soldiers exchanged a glance, confirming Wei Wuxian’s suspicion that they had nearly as many reservations as he did, they entered and released him from his chains. 

“Hey!” he objected as they began to pull him along. 

He was first stripped of his clothes and dragged directly under a waterfall. “Ah! It’s cold! You couldn’t have just put me in a bath?!” he raged over the roaring of the water.

“Hanguang-jun insisted,” said a soldier. “You need spiritual cleansing too.”

“Look! Not to put too fine a point on it, but you might as well ask a dog to piss rainbows!” Wei Wuxian yelled back. “I promise you, this won’t do a thing! Ahhh, I think I feel my spirit getting dirtier while I think about how I’m going to pay Hanguang-jun back for this!”

With that, he was yanked from the waterfall and two blades placed at his throat. Unlike when they came to retrieve him, was no hesitation. Wei Wuxian swallowed, and felt his Adam’s apple brush against the sharp edge.

“You are speaking of the Imperial Brother. Such words are treason.”

Though Wei Wuxian had a lot of words for how he felt about that, he held them back with a nod and a smile. “Okay. Don’t get your underwear in a twist, I got it.”

Bathing complete, he was brought – still completely naked – into a maid’s chamber. Apparently, this room was to be his. Once there, a whole array of people flitted in and out, in preparation for a rushed but clearly highly extravagant ceremony. Two came over and began rubbing his body all over with something which made his skin soft and pleasant-smelling, though he kept jumping when they touched sensitive areas. 

And then he was utterly unprepared when one of those rubbing him called two soldiers over to hold him. “Eh…?” Wei Wuxian asked with a confused smile. “What’s going on, friends?”

As soon as the soldiers had a hold of him, the one with the lotion reached behind him and inserted his finger someplace Wei Wuxian had never even touched himself before. He yelped and tried to struggle free, but he was exhausted and hungry, his spiritual power nonexistent. He groaned as one finger became two, gradually opening him up. What had he done to deserve this?

That done, and his ass throbbing, they began dressing him. Exquisite robes of red silk were draped one after another over his body, a pleasing appearance but he noticed the whole affair could be easily pulled off with no more than three tugs of loose knots. His heart thundered as he realized it was specifically designed for impatient bridegrooms. Finally, a veil of red gauze was draped over his head. He realized his fingers had started to tremble a little. This wasn’t really about to happen, was it?

While he was still wondering, he was put into a palanquin and taken to the great hall. He could hear cheers accompanying his palanquin ride. At one point he dared peak out the curtain, and felt cold inside as he saw faceless forms drifting past one after the other, all wishing their general a good marriage to the conquered Jiang concubine. His fingers let the curtain drop. He couldn’t watch that any longer. Unfortunately, when the palanquin came to a halt and was set down on the ground, and two soldiers guided him out, it seemed there was worse in store for him. 

He was in Lotus Pier’s Imperial Hall. Lan cultivators lined the seats on either side, watching him curiously. Prominent and glorious in the back of the room in the high throne, which should have belonged to Empress Yu, Lan Xichen was adorned with regalia befitting an emperor, a shimmering vision in white, blue and silver. Even Wei Wuxian felt his heart throb a little with an immediate sense of loyalty for him.

Standing at a lower level before him, the cold and imposing mirror image of the emperor. Unlike his brother, Lan Wangji showed no pity, no pomp, indeed hardly anything at all in his face but cold disapproval. As if to purposefully make Wei Wuxian feel even worse, though he watched him for a moment after he first exited the palanquin, his eyes soon turned away to face blankly in front of him, as if it didn’t even matter whether Wei Wuxian was here or not. 

At that point, Wei Wuxian’s optimism finally ran out. He chuckled bitterly to himself. “So this is how the great Yiling Patriarch will finally go down. Lan Wangji’s cruel stare.”

“Go,” prompted one of the soldiers. 

“I’m going, I’m going,” Wei Wuxian grumbled, though every step he took made him feel worse. 

He didn’t really understand how this could be. He thought he could endure anything, and he thought he was used to humiliation. But this was different from simply being laughed at. No one even really seemed to care who he was, or whether he was even human. He was a concubine in a red veil. Perhaps that was all he would ever be from now on.

He reached the open area beside Lan Wangji and stopped, not sure what he was meant to do now. As soon as he was beside him, Lan Wangji got to his knees. He didn’t look at Wei Wuxian, but he seemed to be waiting for him to do the same. Wei Wuxian sighed. He considered running or fighting, but the atmosphere was incredibly oppressive. That, and he knew he wouldn’t get far. He would either be beaten and thrown back in that cell, or killed on the spot. He sighed. Giving in to his fate, he got to his knees before the emperor, beside the man who would now be his husband.

Following Lan Wangji’s lead, the two gave their obeisances to the emperor. They stood again. Xichen offered a sad smile. “I wish you happiness,” he said softly.

“My deepest gratitude,” Wangji said with more volume, bowing deeply. The surrounding Lan cultivators clapped in restrained celebration for him.

But then, without a word, Wangji turned and began to walk away. Wei Wuxian suddenly felt afraid to be left alone in this kind of environment. “Lan Zhan! Wait…”

He reached out without thinking and grabbed for the nearest part of Lan Wangji that he could reach. It happened to be the flicking tail end of his forehead ribbon. The fabric was so silky that when Wei Wuxian grabbed it, it fluttered free of the tie on Lan Wangji’s head, and was now limply fluttering from Wei Wuxian’s hand. Lan Wangji froze as if he had suddenly turned to stone. 

With heightened breathing, and red edging at the corners of his eyes, he rounded on Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian blinked. He had never seen so much emotion in Lan Wangji’s face. Somehow it was extremely…charming. So much so he almost forgot the danger.

“You…” Wangji hissed softly, barely able to speak. 

Wei Wuxian was utterly perplexed by this reaction, looking down innocently at the small piece of fabric in his hand. “Ah…I’m sorry,” he mumbled, attempting to meekly hand it back to him. 

Instead, Lan Wangji grabbed his whole wrist and dragged him in a flurry to what used to be Jiang Cheng’s wing of the imperial palace. Once there, he threw Wei Wuxian down on the bed while he stood off to the side, panting through what seemed like waves of turbulent emotions. 

“L-…Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian murmured, rubbing his wrist. Given Lan Wangji’s force and strength, he was amazed it wasn’t broken. “Look…is this all really necessary? I’m all ready to be a prisoner, I look forward to it! Seems relaxing. But this is going too far. You…don’t really want this either, do you?”

“Be quiet,” Wangji grunted. Despite the initial anger apparent in his voice, his lip appeared to be trembling. 

“…can I go then?”

“No,” he said firmly. 

Wei Wuxian huffed. “You don’t want me here, but you don’t want me to go. How spoiled exactly is the Second Master Lan? Honestly, what a wedding day.”

Lan Wangji’s breath still hadn’t righted itself. He looked tortured as he remained standing beside the bed and gazing hard at the floor, still on the fence about what to do next. 

“All right. You’ll lose face if we do nothing. I get that,” Wei Wuxian summarized. “So why don’t we just hang around here for a while, maybe jump up and down and make a big fuss, and then you can toss me out like a sack of potatoes? Who would know?”

Wangji’s frown only increased as his gaze flicked hesitantly toward near where Wei Wuxian was sitting on the bed. “…I would know.”

“Kheh!” Wei Wuxian crowed, though quite frustrated. “So this is how it’s going to go,” he muttered. Unbeknownst to Lan Wangji, he was talking about his own virginity. “Taken by a reluctant husband just so he can avoid breaking a rule. Glad I married a romantic. Have to tell the grandkids about this one.”

The muscles in Lan Wangji’s jaw visibly tightened. Wei Wuxian’s words clearly had a heavy impact on him. He eventually closed his eyes, finally managing to steady his breathing. While they were still closed, he muttered softly, “Cover your eyes.”

Wei Wuxian recoiled slightly. “…you want me to do what?”

Lan Wangji seemed to struggle even to repeat what he had just said. He glanced toward Wei Wuxian’s knees, but didn’t seem to be able to meet his gaze. For the first time since he had seen him today, his eyes gradually lifted toward the veil which was somehow still covering Wei Wuxian’s head. 

Lan Wangji approached the bed. His hand began to lift but then hesitated. Finally, he grasped the edge of Wei Wuxian’s veil, tugging it slowly down and toward himself. The gossamer fabric slid from Wei Wuxian’s silky and freshly washed black locks. Now he could also see Wangji’s face unobstructed. But even now, his wood-colored eyes were only able to look as high as Wei Wuxian’s chest in his deep shame at what was happening. 

Wei Wuxian’s stomach felt cold as he realized how much Lan Wangji must regret the necessity of doing this with him. He forced a small, self-deprecating laugh. “Look at you, Lan Zhan. You can’t even look me in the eye. Is there anyone you’d be more unhappy doing this with than me?”

Lan Wangji ignored him. He twisted the fabric of the veil into a long skein and then handed it back. “Cover your eyes,” he said.

Wei Wuxian scoffed. “Aren’t you the one who doesn’t want to see me?”

But Lan Wangji would not move an inch, holding out the fabric and waiting for Wei Wuxian to take it. A small part of Wei Wuxian gave up the brief moment of joy he had felt at seeing Lan Zhan waiting for him in the imperial hall, at his shocked face when he took his forehead ribbon, and at his adorable embarrassment and ineffectualness as soon as they were alone together. Those feelings would only bring him pain. One thing he was certain of: Lan Wangji would never care for him.

His mind was caught up in memories of the youth they spent together, training in the Cloud Recesses, as he reluctantly brought the red fabric up to his eyes and tied it behind his head. Lan Wangji was so easily embarrassed. It made it impossible for Wei Wuxian not to imagine how he would be in an intimate situation. Though, with his vision now impaired, he realized he might still not know much.

His heartbeat rose as the bed shifted with Lan Wangji’s weight. He could hear his ragged breathing very near. Instinctively he tried to open his eyes and realized that, although it was very indistinct through all the folds, it wasn’t that he could see nothing. The red shadow of Lan Wangji’s hand approached him, so he wasn’t surprised when it touched his cheek. 

“Lan Zhan…” he asked softly, not sure why he was suddenly curious. “Have you ever done this with anyone before?”

“…no.”

His heartbeat rose yet again. He shouldn’t be surprised, knowing Lan Wangji. Yet a thrill rose inside his chest, and even caused a sensation of heat to pool in the center of his body. He allowed Wangji’s fingers to tilt his head back as the other man’s breath lightly touched his lips. 

When Lan Wangji’s lips pressed to his, for a moment all Wei Wuxian’s pain and humiliation vanished. Pleasure fluttered through his chest, extending down his limbs. His lips felt electrified with sensation every time Wangji’s soft lips brushed against them. Wangji was shaking, he could feel it where he touched him. Despite his clearly dreadful embarrassment, he kissed him so gently. Does he really feel nothing? Wei Wuxian wondered.

Wangji briefly pulled back, breathing hard and still trembling. He seemed at a loss for what to do. Wei Wuxian was about to ask him when the next thing he knew, Lan Wangji pushed him back against the bed and traded his gentle kisses for deep and all-consuming ones. 

Lan Wangji’s hands grasped his face at first, keeping him in place as he kissed him so hard he seemed to want to swallow him whole. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help the odd gasps and moans that rose from him from this rough treatment, which nonetheless was making his whole body feel alive with pleasure. He couldn’t stop instinctively shifting his hips up, unconsciously begging to be touched. 

Though not stopping his passionate kissing for a moment, Lan Wangji’s hands caressed down Wei Wuxian’s neck, causing him to shiver with pleasure. His fingers caught on one after the other of the paltry ties keeping on his extravagant wedding clothes, tugging them loose. As the garments fell away, suddenly Wei Wuxian felt nervous to be so exposed. He instinctively crossed one hand over his chest. 

But Lan Wangji grasped his wrist, pulling it back so Wei Wuxian’s whole front was laid bare before him. He only stopped his desperate kissing when he moved down and placed a deep kiss on Wei Wuxian’s nipple.

“Ah! L-Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian whispered in desperation. “Don’t…you don’t have to…I…ah!”

He arched his back with a cry as Lan Wangji grasped his chest in both arms, lifting him slightly from the bed to suck down hungrily on his nipple. To his own shame, Wei Wuxian could barely hold back from cumming already. Why did this feel so good? 

He could not realize he was in for even deeper trouble as Lan Wangji’s lips suddenly shifted down once again. The next thing he knew, Wei Wuxian’s mind was completely lost to pleasure as he found Lan Wangji’s mouth surrounding the most sensitive part of his body. He let out a strangled cry, his fingers gripping onto Lan Zhan’s luxurious hair. He couldn’t stop. Even though just moments ago he had felt helpless in Lan Wangji’s hands, he held him down with both hands while thrusting up into his warm and wet mouth.

He could swear he felt a soft moan from deep in Lan Wangji’s throat. And then he couldn’t hold back the surge of pleasure any longer. His muscles locked. He threw his head back. Fire roared through the core of his body as he let go everything he had inside Lan Wangji’s mouth. 

As he was still trembling and recovering from this incredible sensation, Lan Wangji’s powerful hands had already grasped him under his thighs, pushing them down to give his hips access to the valley of Wei Wuxian’s legs. He only had time to gasp before Lan Wangji’s cock slid inside his previously prepared hole. Wei Wuxian winced with pain at being stretched so far with no warning. But he instinctively clung tightly to Lan Wangji’s powerful shoulders above him. 

Once inside, Lan Wangji stopped and panted over Wei Wuxian. Inexplicably, he curled his body over him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Though he could not see him from his angle even without the veil, his ragged breaths brushed Wei Wuxian’s ear. He could feel his heavy heartbeat thundering against his own chest. For a moment, Wei Wuxian’s eyes fluttered and his body felt hot with a different kind of pleasure than before. He hesitantly squeezed his fingers down into Lan Wangji’s beautiful clothes.

And that was all the peace he got. Wangji grunted softly as he thrust his hips deep inside Wei Wuxian, over and over. Wei Wuxian found it very hard to keep his head through the competing sensations of discomfort and pleasure from Lan Wangji’s huge cock sliding in and out of his body. Gradually he got used to the size but then he realized each thrust in was brushing against a spot inside him that sent devastating waves of pleasure from his hair to the tips of his toes. Soon he had lost all sense of himself and was nearly screaming with pleasure, all his limbs wrapped around Lan Wangji. 

“Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan…” he cried again and again. 

Each time he said his name, he could swear Lan Wangji’s thrusting grew harder, and his cock inside him even hotter. A wave of possessiveness struck Wei Wuxian. He’s mine…he thought dimly. At this moment, no one else can have him. The thought caused an even greater feeling of heat to run through Wei Wuxian’s body, and he clung so tightly to Lan Zhan he was sure he tore some of his clothes. 

At last, though later he believed he must have imagined this, Lan Wangji’s low, sweet voice resounded in his ear, “Wei Ying….!”

And then the great Lan general’s body twitched over and over as he flooded Wei Wuxian’s insides with warmth. Even though he had cum so recently, hearing Lan Wangji’s voice in his ear as he felt his warmth inside pushed him once again over the edge. His cock spurted once again a stream of dilute cum over his own stomach. Wangji remained panting above him for many long moments, both of them trembling from the powerful sensations they had just experienced. 

At length, Lan Wangji let his whole weight rest on Wei Wuxian’s chest. Wei Wuxian tried to control another wave of pleasant sensations from feeling this man’s breath and weight on his chest. He teased his fingers into his hair. 

“Lan Zhan…are you sure that was your first time?” he asked with a soft chuckle.

“Be still,” Lan Wangji told him softly. Yet his tone was much softer than any he had used before, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help agreeing. 

But after only a minute or so relaxing in this posture, wondering if Lan Wangji would be willing to go again, the Lan general’s body suddenly went stiff. He sat up from the bed, extricating himself from Wei Wuxian without a word. 

“Eh…? Lan Zhan-“

He heard the sound of his clothes rustling. Wei Wuxian hurriedly sat up and untied the fabric from over his eyes, but by the time he looked up, the only trace of Lan Wangji was a flutter of his forehead ribbon as he tied it back onto his head and swept from the room. 

The warmth that Lan Wangji had briefly imparted to him suddenly felt cold and empty. The pain he had stopped noticing between his legs throbbed back to life, and his stomach began to hurt too. Wei Wuxian curled up against the bed that had once been his brother’s, but was now stripped to the bare and ascetic style of Gusu. It was hard and unforgiving, much like its new owner. For a long while, Wei Wuxian couldn’t move at all as he realized, it was too late. He was in love with someone who hated even the sight of him. He fell asleep where he was, damp and shivering, thinking once again that he would much prefer to be chained up in a dungeon than to suffer Lan Wangji’s sweet embraces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	11. Dancer of Yunmeng

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending from Ch 10. :)

The air in Yunmeng smelled of sweet sunlight. It was the lotus flowers, which somehow seemed to bloom most of the year, as if beloved by the sun as much as they were by the human eye. When they first arrived in the Cloud Recesses, this smell was Lan Wangji’s first memory of the Jiang imperial family. With the possible exception of Prince Jiang Wanyin, they did not act like the leaders of an empire. To Lan Wangji’s cold and clean world of purity and abstruse learning, they were like fireflies. 

In particular, the one who always seemed to distract his attention with a bright smile or dazzling laugh was Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying. 

It hurt. Just being near him hurt. 

Having never felt this way before, and having no idea what it meant, Lan Wangji’s reaction was to treat Wei Wuxian as a problem. He used the methods his uncle had lived by all his life, and which Wangji trusted implicitly. But they all seemed to have the opposite effect on that sparkling creature that so frustrated him. Not only did Wei Wuxian continue purposefully distracting Lan Wangji and making trouble for him, but instead of resolving, Wangji's feelings of pain and frustration only grew deeper. 

And yet, as much as he had been at his wit’s end with him here, when Wei Wuxian left suddenly, what came to Lan Wangji’s cold world was not the serenity and stability of before. Rather, it was an emptiness and ache. It was then that he first started to realize just a small part of what he was feeling for Wei Ying.

After leaving his own chamber on his wedding night, he clutched at his chest, still trembling from what he had done. He knew it was wrong, that he would never be forgiven for abusing the momentary power afforded him over the one he had pined after for so long. He told himself he would not do it if it were not for the political benefit to his brother. But with Lan Wangji’s nature, he could not even lie convincingly to himself. 

Due to the guilt of what he had done, forcing Wei Wuxian into a humiliating marriage as a concubine and immediately passionately embracing him, he resolved two things: that he would not seek Wei Wuxian’s affection, no matter how much it hurt, and that he would not touch him again. Once was more than enough, he told himself, and he should not be greedy.

But that did not release either of them from the new obligations they would now have. For Lan Wangji, this in fact meant that his torture was only beginning. 

He came back to his rooms one evening after having gone on yet another expedition in search of the former imperial family. Xichen assured him it was unnecessary, but Wangji knew that was only because he liked the Jiang family personally, and he was too kind to be ruthless when necessary. His search party had ended up being attacked by demons on the way and a soldier nearly died right in front of Wangji. He was exhausted and uncomfortably dirty when he arrived and just wanted to bathe and sleep. 

He jumped slightly when walked into his room and saw a tall and lithe man in black testing the water in a freshly poured bath and idly adding little rose petals to it. He glanced up when Wangji entered and grinned at him. He jumped up from the edge of the tub where he had been resting his hip and curtseyed.

“Husband,” he said with deep facetiousness. 

Wangji sighed, walking in, setting down Bichen and beginning to take off his armor. “Why are you here?”

“Don’t you know? It’s a concubine’s duty at times like this to be…on hand, so to speak,” said the devilish man with a grin. “Hm? Are you doing my job for me?” he asked, indicating the fact that Wangji was removing and putting away his armor himself.

“…it is not necessary.”

“Oh-ho,” Wei Wuxian commented, tapping his finger to his lips as if mildly scandalized. “So the Second Master only cares about the rules when they give him free reign over other people’s bodies. Hm hm hm.”

Wangji closed his eyes with irritation, even more so because by that argument Wei Wuxian was exactly right. For what he was doing to have any meaning beyond simply hedonism, there was no excuse for being inconsistent. Even if it hurt. Even if it tested Wangji’s resolve. If nothing else, he assured himself, this was no more than karmic retribution for his own crimes.

Reluctantly, he held out his arms to await Wei Wuxian removing the rest of his armor.

“He he,” Wei Wuxian laughed merrily, a sound that never failed to tug Lan Wangji’s heart in eight different directions at once. “You know, you’re awfully cute when you’re obedient. Makes me want to do something to reward you.”

“You are before a prince. Mind your tongue,” Wangji growled.

Wei Wuxian’s smile faded a little and he nodded as he began to untie the armor. Immediately Lan Wangji felt himself drowning in guilt, but since he felt just as bad when Wei Wuxian was friendly with him, he really couldn’t think of a way to avoid this feeling. 

One by one his new bride removed each piece of armor and set them aside. He unfortunately set the slightly dusty items on the bed, which bothered Wangji a little, but not enough to say anything. That done, he started to undo Wangji’s clothes.

Wangji immediately took a step back. “What are you doing?” 

But Wei Wuxian seemed puzzled. “Hm? You’re taking a bath, aren’t you? I’m here to bathe you. Wasn’t that obvious?”

Wangji felt heat rise up his neck and touch his ears. No, he hadn’t realized that. He thought Wei Wuxian was just joking as usual and would find every opportunity to treat this situation like a game. Maybe he still was. But was he really this bold?

“I can bathe myself,” Wangji insisted softly, turning away from Wei Wuxian and holding his hand over the tie in his yi that Wei Wuxian had undone. 

Wei Wuxian sighed loudly. “Agh, how many times? It’s my duty, Your Highness,” Wei Wuxian explained, though there was definitely no sincerity in his use of the title. “And I’ve actually been bored to tears lately because I really don’t have any other job. I promise I have no untoward intentions,” he assured him, raising three fingers to the sky. “I’ll really just bathe you. Just keep me company a little?”

Wangji’s heart wavered badly at the sweet and seemingly humble request. “…no concubine was ever so demanding,” he mumbled.

“Pah!” Wei Wuxian laughed. “Apparently you haven’t met very many.”

Taking Wangji’s mumbled reply as reluctant acceptance, Wei Wuxian began again to remove his clothes, placing each item beside his armor on the bed. He didn’t want to, but Wangji’s eyes followed the movements of Wei Wuxian’s hands as he worked. An urge to speak to him rose up. To ask him what he had been doing today. Whether he missed his family. Whether he truly hated it here, and hated Wangji. But none were strong enough to move the rock of his resolve.

“There. Wait-“ Wei Wuxian was about to guide him to the bath tub when he reached up toward Wangji’s hair. 

Wangji grasped his wrist and growled, “What do you want?”

Wei Wuxian again looked down with that horribly restrained look of sadness, driving a knife of guilt into Wangji’s heart. “I just…wanted to brush your hair. Otherwise it will get tangled in the water. I was just going to take off your ribbon.”

“Do not touch,” Wangji said sharply.

Wei Wuxian pouted slightly. “I don’t want your dumb ribbon. Fine, do it yourself then. I’ll get a brush.”

Despite the now immense difference in their status and the fact that he was already a little angry with him, Lan Wangji didn’t even question the urge to obey Wei Wuxian. He turned to his nightstand and unpinned his diadem, placing it on one corner of the stand and his neatly folded forehead ribbon on the other. His loose hair tumbled in a rather unseemly mess all over his face and shoulders. 

Wei Wuxian came back over with the brush and conscientiously removed the tangles from traveling and fighting. Wangji’s eyes fluttered closed as he felt guilt simply at how much he enjoyed this feeling. How different would it be if Wei Wuxian felt something for him too? But he shut that idea down immediately. Wei Wuxian was a forgiving person, but even if what Wangji had done was forgivable, nothing would change his nature as a stiff and unfriendly authoritarian, everything Wei Wuxian resented. A beautiful and joyful person like Wei Wuxian would never care for Lan Wangji. 

“All done.” Wangji saw out of the corner of his eye that Wei Wuxian raised a hand as if to pat his shoulder, simply to let him know he was done. But Wei Wuxian hesitated, apparently recalling the two times Wangji had already shut him down in the last few minutes when he attempted intimacy. Instead he retracted his hand and said lightly, “Get in. I’ll wash you.”

Wangji wanted to run away. He only seemed capable of making Wei Wuxian feel worse. But he could not think of an adequate excuse for either leaving or forcing Wei Wuxian out. He stepped into the tub and closed his eyes, trying to settle his heart by pretending he was alone.

This task was not made easy as he felt Wei Wuxian’s fingers taking up his hair and beginning to wash it for him. As he did this, Wei Wuxian let out a soft chuckle. “You and your brother were both blessed with good looks, but your hair is especially gorgeous. Mine always curls and gets frayed at the edges. How do you keep it in such good condition?”

Lan Wangji’s eyes cautiously came to rest on Wei Wuxian’s narrow waist as he perched on the edge of the tub, still idly washing Wangji’s hair with his sleeves rolled up and his slender and captivating wrists exposed. His heart felt strained and he quickly looked away. 

“…the Lan diet is rich in nutrients which benefit the skin and hair. Cultivation further strengthens it. Daily brushing to remove tangles, washing three times weekly, oils to protect it from sun and wind damage.”

Wei Wuxian paused in what he was doing to blink down at his suddenly eloquent husband. “Huh,” he commented. “Well, thank you. Now I know.”

He continued his careful washing, his fingers finally reaching Wangji’s scalp. Wangji closed his eyes and tried desperately to pretend it was anyone else’s fingers, as pleasant sensations ran up his spine from feeling his scalp gently rubbed. But now and then he caught the soft scent of lotus flowers in sunlight, and his efforts proved useless. He did think, though, that Wei Wuxian was being surprisingly quiet. 

“…husband,” Wei Wuxian said at length. His fingers slowed and instead caressed Wangji’s hair with admiration. “It’s been weeks. Why haven’t you asked for me at night?”

Wangji let out a soft breath of shock to be asked this directly. “I do not have to explain myself to you,” he quickly tried to deflect the topic. But he couldn’t stop his body from reacting. 

Wei Wuxian sighed, thankfully not seeming to notice the state of Wangji’s body under the water. “But isn’t it a waste? I know you think I’m annoying as a person, but look at this body in its prime! You really see this curvaceous ass and don’t want to do anything to it?”

“Silence,” Wangji told him sharply.

Wei Wuxian made a pouting face and seemed to give up on the idea of washing. Instead, he stood up and moved purposefully into Wangji’s field of vision. His fingers teased the tie at his waist. “What a cruel husband. Shows me how good his cock feels and then tosses me aside.” He said, untying his yi and leaving the better part of his bare chest open to view. “But you didn’t tell me not to amuse myself. So you know what I’ve been doing every night since you left me high and dry?”

“Be silent,” Wangji said with more force, realizing he sounded exactly like his uncle.

“Imagining it was you, I’ve been taking a smooth, old broom handle, and-“

Wangji could stand no more of this. He swept up from the bath and slapped Wei Wuxian’s forehead. He effortlessly caught his unconscious bride as he fell. Trembling from head to foot with anger, he carefully stepped out of the tub, carrying Wei Wuxian in his arms. Briefly setting him down on a divan, he quickly cleaned and put away his armor, then set his clothes aside for the servants to clean the next day. He brushed off the traces of dust from the bed, though he was not satisfied with this meager cleaning. 

Even so, he had had enough for this day. He peeled back the covers, placed the sleeping Wei Wuxian inside and got in himself on the opposite side of the bed. He would wake much earlier than him, so he would miss the inevitable anger from his bride when he woke to find his virtue remained intact the next day.

…

One of the duties of the imperial family, even if they happened to be monkish and ascetic like the Lan, was hosting feasts in recognition of the contributions of their tributary states. An expected form of entertainment was dancing, one traditionally performed by ladies-in-waiting. But the only thing even close to that in the Lan household was Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian made a ridiculous grin as he flounced around in the extremely long sleeves and dangling accoutrements of his glorious – if a bit gaudy – dancing clothes. “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!” he tried to get Lan Wangji’s attention as they were preparing for the arrival of their guests. 

Wangji glanced down at his heartbreakingly beautiful concubine, who seemed to sparkle even more torturously brilliant in these colorful and extravagant clothes, grinning up at him with an inappropriate expression of joy and mischief. 

“…you should be out of sight,” Wangji muttered.

“I know, I just wanted to show you! Ha ha. Can you believe they want me to wear this?”

Wangji didn’t answer but quickly looked away. He didn’t feel he deserved such a sight. Since he wasn’t looking, he missed the pain flicker across Wei Wuxian’s face at his appearance of disinterest. 

Wei Wuxian quickly restored a soft smile and said, “Okay. I just wanted to show you. I’ll be waiting out of sight until I’m called.”

At his absence, Wangji silently took his place standing like a specter at the entrance of the imperial hall, where – at least by appearances – he would be greeting guests. In reality he had no such social skills, which he would leave to his brother, but he would keep close watch on each of the guests to make sure their intentions were pure. 

The greetings went smoothly, as did Xichen’s opening remarks. Neither of the Lan brothers drank, so it didn’t take long for them to become the only sober ones in the room. When their guests were already quite tipsy, it was time for the entertainment. 

Three Lan musicians, a xiao, pipa and an erhu player, took a place beneath the emperor’s throne, and they played an introduction for the dancer. A flutter of brightly colored fabric caught Lan Wangji’s eye. He mistakenly looked up as the extravagantly dressed figure entered, and even though he kept trying, found it all but impossible to look away after a single glance. 

As dazzling as he had been just standing, Wei Wuxian’s charm became polished to perfection as he smiled and arched his lithe body into graceful shapes, further accentuated by the softly flowing fabric of his clothes. He made living expressions of the music. Each new pose made him seem more ethereal spirit than man, as if the long sleeves that flicked out from his hands might sprout into wings. 

Wei Wuxian had obviously given the musicians different musical advice from that of the Lan’s usual range. While the piece began softly, it soon picked up into a sensuous and enthralling melody that even better accentuated the astonishing dancer’s movements. No heart was left unstirred by the coquettishly smiling dancer who carelessly strummed at the souls of his audience.

Watching this, motionless and unable to avert his gaze, Wangji wondered if he might actually die. The sight of the one he loved at his most glorious was so intoxicating, and equally painful as he remained forever out of reach, that he feared his heart would physically break as well. 

The dance finished, and Lan Wangji’s heart at last had a moment of relief. He closed his eyes as Wei Wuxian bowed to the applause of their astonished guests. Wangji thought he could keep his eyes closed to spare himself more torment, but moments later, he thought his poor heart would crack in two. 

A familiar melody rose in the soft, lilting notes of a dizi. 

Lan Wangji’s eyes flew open. He now saw that Wei Wuxian had produced Chenqing, and with his long and fluttering sleeves trailing from his wrists like fins of a fighting fish, was soulfully playing out the notes of the song Wangji had written while pining after him, alone in the Cloud Recesses. The song he had once played for him when they were trapped in a cave with the Tortoise of Slaughter on a night hunt together. The song that was only for the two of them. A fact which Wei Wuxian either clearly did not know or was purposefully ignoring in order to anger him. Either way, Wangji had to fight back tears as he listened to the sound that instantly became his most favorite one.

The highest ranking general of the Kingdom of Qishan, a rather pompous but not highly cultivated youth named Wen Chao, snapped Wangji from his reverie by clapping him on the shoulder. 

“You…you, Hanguang-jun. That’s your concubine, isn’t it?” he asked him drunkenly.

Lan Wangji was actually grateful for this odious interruption so he could gather himself. He closed his eyes to hide his equal gratitude and irritation. He did nod slightly.

“I’ll drink to her,” Wen Chao said, and leaned in uncomfortably close to take up Wangji’s untouched baijiu cup, clumsily filling it. “Come, drink. Drink with me.”

Wangji was well aware of his own total lack of alcohol tolerance. But to show it would lose face not only for him, but for his brother too. He did not know how to respond. 

“Ah?” Wen Chao demanded as Wangji remained silent and still refused to accept his cup. “What’s the matter? You won’t drink with me? You trying to say you don’t trust the Qishan Kingdom, is that it?”

Wangji quickly realized that while losing face was bad, a war was almost certainly worse. He accepted the cup. In his throne, his brother spotted this from the corner of his eye and tensed, but there was nothing he could do. Wangji downed the drink.

Almost immediately, he had trouble staying awake. He felt as if all the blood rushed to his head and he felt dizzy, though not unpleasant. He set his cup back down on the table in front of him, hoping to steady himself. 

“That’s the spirit! Now, you’re going to finish this jug with me, all right? And the Qishan Wen family is going to be your most loyal servants, ha ha ha!” 

Wangji’s vision went fuzzy just at the thought of having any more to drink. He feared he would do harm to his body – not to mention his reputation – if he had any more. But he couldn’t think of a way out. He closed his eyes to steady himself, wondering if he should simply let go and fall asleep. 

At that moment, a glimmering vision entered his sight, and he looked up in wonder. A heartbreakingly beautiful smile, and then he felt warmth fill him deeply as a smaller body fit snugly into the valley of his own. Though such boldness would normally only irk him, Wei Wuxian had spotted his difficulty, walked right over the table with his food and settled himself like an affectionate pet in Wangji’s lap. 

The bold behavior did not end there. As Wen Chao watched in mild confusion, though just as dazzled by Wei Wuxian as everyone else, the concubine rubbed his cheek sweetly against Wangji’s chest. Wangji once again felt his heart would burst. Even worse, he had no control over other parts of his body that were already reacting to Wei Wuxian’s closeness. 

“You want to drink? I’ll drink,” said Wei Wuxian with a smirk, toward Wen Chao. 

He reached out and took the whole jug Wen Chao was holding. As confused guests watched, he downed the whole jug in moments, allowing a few devilish drops to escape from the corners of his lips. He sighed pleasantly and handed the empty jug back. 

“He’s my husband. I’m the only one who gets to see him all flustered,” Wei Wuxian concluded, possessively wrapping his arms around Wangji’s neck as if to shield him. 

A few guests made rather raucous noises at this behavior, while Wen Chao merely blinked and swallowed slightly. But from that point the alcohol had fully traveled through his system and Lan Wangji stopped being overly aware of his surroundings. He felt Wei Wuxian’s pleasant weight lift off of him with disappointment, but then that beautiful wrist entered his vision and grasped his own hand, pulling him up. He obediently rose and followed his concubine back to his chambers. 

Wei Wuxian sighed as soon as they were alone. “Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan, don’t go over there,” he said, as Wangji headed toward the bath that had been prepared for him already. “Come sit on the bed here.”

Wangji stood defiantly, upset that Wei Wuxian wasn’t going to bathe him. He stayed there as if to make sure Wei Wuxian wouldn’t change his mind.

“No. It’s not the time for a bath. It’s question and answer time, so come here. If you do, I’ll give you a kiss.”

Wangji’s breath halted. Wei Wuxian would really do that? But it wasn’t right. Still…

“Ha ha, don’t worry, I’m just kidding,” Wei Wuxian said. Wangji’s heart fell and at once he felt defiant again. “But I promise I’ll do whatever you want if you answer my questions, okay?”

Warmth spread up Wangji’s chest as he pictured Wei Wuxian doing ‘whatever he wanted.’ He felt his ears start to grow hot. Maybe there were still things he could get away with that didn’t actually require breaking his vow not to touch Wei Wuxian. And finally, he found it lonely to be in a large room so far away from Wei Wuxian. He stumbled over to the bed and plopped down beside his concubine. 

Wei Wuxian propped himself against the headboard and observed Wangji with fascination. “All right…first question. Who’s your best friend?”

Wangji felt a slight twinge at the nature of the question. But apparently the drink dulled his sense of embarrassment, and an honest answer emerged from him. “Xiong-zhang.”

Wei Wuxian giggled. “Okay. What’s your favorite animal?”

“…rabbit.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. Then the beautiful dancer erupted with inappropriate laughter, which doubly tested Wangji’s resolve as he had missed that loud an unrestrained laugh so terribly over the years. When he got tired of it, Wei Wuxian wiped away a tear of laughter and grew somewhat serious again.

“Real questions then,” he said, sounding almost sad. “…do you regret marrying me?”

Wangji felt his eyes start to sting. But he felt too guilty to cry. Instead he finally admitted his own shame before the one he had hurt with it, “…yes.”

Wei Wuxian nodded in acceptance of this answer, but Wangji was shocked to look up and see, one after another, tears streaking down his face. His pleasing dancer makeup was quickly rendered a memory as the black eyeliner streaked down over the white and red powder, all mixing together in two sad streams. Wangji’s heart had already been tested a lot tonight, but seeing this felt worse than anything. He froze, unsure what to do.

Wei Wuxian didn’t seem to notice the makeup problem, but he shook his head as if in embarrassment that he had cried at all. “Don’t know what I’m crying for. I knew that,” Wei Wuxian muttered to himself. “All right,” he said, wiping his face quickly with his hand and taking in a steadying breath to start again. “Well then…what will make it better? What would you like me to do? Answer honestly, and whatever it is, I’ll do it. Because there’s no point in both of us being unhappy.”

Wangji’s chest felt squeezed at Wei Wuxian’s admission that he was unhappy. But of course he was. He had humiliation and abuse heaped one after another on him since marrying Lan Wangji. There was no way out for him. He was just looking for the slightest glimmer of hope that he wouldn’t have to live this way forever. Wangji’s eyes lowered in despair. He had no answer.

Wei Wuxian seemed to be trying to read his expression. But as ever, the only one who was able to do that with any reliability remained Lan Xichen. Even as yet another tear slipped down his face, Wei Wuxian guessed, “…do you want never to see me again?”

All the breath left Wangji’s lungs. The mere thought of never seeing Wei Wuxian again felt like being stabbed through the heart. His fingers tightened on the sheets beneath him. He could only shake his head weakly. 

Wei Wuxian actually let out a sigh of relief at this. “Oh…of course. You’d lose face from that too, wouldn’t you?” he murmured softly to himself. He rested his hand over his eyes. “Well…I’m a bit stuck, Hanguang-jun. I know you don’t like me, but there’s no way out. You won’t believe me, but I swear I’m not trying to annoy you, I just want to help. Oh…what am I saying to a drunk? You’ll never remember this anyway.”

“…like…”

Wei Wuxian’s beautifully adorned body stiffened slightly. He lowered his hand from his eyes and looked up curiously at Lan Wangji. “What did you say?”

Wangji’s eyes reluctantly flicked over to the colorful fabric draping over Wei Wuxian’s long and tempting legs. “Like,” he grumbled softly. And then many long seconds later, he added for clarity, “You.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t move for some time. Eventually he let out a soft, shivering breath of disbelief. But then he forced a small, painful laugh. “What are you saying? No you don’t. You can’t even-”

Before Wei Wuxian could finish, Wangji reached over and took up his hand. He pressed Wei Wuxian’s smaller hand under his own to flatten out over his chest. His heart was beating so loud just touching Wei Wuxian that he could feel it himself even over Wei Wuxian’s fingers. 

“…Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian whispered, gazing at Wangji’s chest in wonder. He slowly turned his gaze up to Wangji’s face, noticing the red edging at his ears. His eyes began to water again. “What are you doing to me?” he asked softly, yet Wangji was almost sure he could hear affection in his voice. “Are you for real? Since when?”

“…indoctrination.”

Wei Wuxian blinked at him. He sighed heavily. “Now I know you’re lying. That was when you hated me most.”

Wangji simply shook his head. “Liked you.”

“…you liked me?”

A nod.

“…did you ever stop?”

A shake of his head.

“……but you regret marrying me?”

Wangji reluctantly let Wei Wuxian’s hand lower from his chest as he remembered one of many reasons he had never told him this before. “You were unwilling,” he supplied softly.

“I…well, I was, but mostly at the concubine part. Wasn’t too keen on having my first time be a servant’s fingers either. But wait…that’s why you regret it?”

A nod.

Wei Wuxian’s breath left him harshly. In further wonder, he whispered, “You mean if I was willing…you would want to marry me?”

Lan Wangji closed his eyes. They felt hot. He had wanted to protect himself from fruitlessly imagining how things would be different if Wei Wuxian loved him too. But now the thought was out in the open. It was so overwhelmingly happy, and so different from the reality, that the proud general only barely held back the urge to cry. 

“Can’t…set you free,” he whispered. “Too dangerous.”

“…what?” Wei Wuxian asked him, dipping his head down to try to catch Wangji’s eye. “What do you mean by that? You mean…you regret marrying me, because I was unwilling…you want to let me go, but you’re worried I’ll become a target of the empire if you do?”

Wangji allowed a stiff nod.

Wei Wuxian took in and let out a shaking breath. “Oh Lan Wangji, Lan Wangji. I thought I was the person who liked you the most in the world. How could I misjudge you so badly?”

Lan Wangji gasped and lifted his head at the middle part of that. He whirled to stare at the disheveled but still stunningly beautiful dancer beside him. He was so stunned and so cautious to believe what he had just heard, he couldn’t even muster the words to ask. 

Wei Wuxian noticed his look of surprise and let out a small, wet laugh. He was crying again, but this time it didn’t seem to be entirely sad tears. “Are you really that surprised? After how much I tease you every time I see you? You know I don’t do that with anyone else.”

Lan Wangji thought back, still in disbelief, and was shocked to realize that this was true. Wei Wuxian was frequently contrary and confrontational with people, and had a sarcastic air at all times, but there was no one other than Lan Wangji toward whom he spent any real effort trying to bother. At the thought that such childish actions, which equally frustrated as fascinated him, had only been seeking out his attention, Lan Wangji felt as if his chest were suddenly filled with air and light. He turned to gaze at his true love sitting beside him in wonder. 

Wei Wuxian tilted his head with a smile, and then further tested the limits of the strength of Wangji’s heart by raising a hand and affectionately caressing Wangji’s face. “What a pair we make,” Wei Wuxian said with a small chuckle.

With that, Lan Wangji’s iron resolve finally shattered. He gathered Wei Wuxian in his arms and pushed him back on the bed. He gazed down at him with all the love he had hidden all these years. 

“Love you.”

Wei Wuxian laughed sweetly, curving his arms around Wangji’s neck. “This is bad. I’m so happy I’m worried a storm is coming.”

Lan Wangji’s eyes fluttered, thinking he would gladly turn into a storm if he could see Wei Wuxian’s face this happy every day. “Reward,” he prompted softly, his blush finally reaching his cheeks. 

“Eh?” Wei Wuxian asked in amused confusion.

“Answered questions. Reward.”

Wei Wuxian scrunched up his face, shaking with helpless laughter. “Oh it’s so bad. I love the drunk Lan Wangji so much.”

Lan Wangji huffed in frustration at Wei Wuxian making him wait. He childishly rested his index finger on Wei Wuxian’s lip, which finally silenced his love’s laughter. Wei Wuxian smiled softly and then close his eyes, holding Wangji’s hand in place so he could reverently kiss the tip of Wangji’s finger. Wangji closed his eyes and shivered. 

“There,” Wei Wuxian said, his voice now subtly different somehow in a way that made Wangji’s spine tingle. “A kiss. That’s what you wanted isn’t it?”

Wangji let out a shocked breath at Wei Wuxian’s cruelty. Could he really think he would be satisfied with that? 

But Wei Wuxian laughed again almost immediately. “I’m kidding! I love your flustered face so much. Let me tease you every day from now on. Okay? And only get drunk in front of me. You’re so adorable I don’t know what to do.”

Wangji was only growing further frustrated with Wei Wuxian’s verbal teasing as well as his continued refusal to kiss him properly. “Wei Ying,” Wangji urged. 

“Hm? Oh, you want me to bathe you now?”

“No! I want-“

At that moment, Wei Wuxian grinned and threw his arms around his husband, pulling him down on top of him and kissing him deeply. Wangji felt as if he were drowning. A very pleasant drowning, but one with no escape. Pleasure tingled throughout his whole body, warmth filling every corner and flooding his brain, removing any possibility of sentient thought. His only focus in the world, and one that simultaneously threatened to crush him completely with his excess of love, was the enthralling, joyful, frustrating, mad, perfect creature in his arms. 

They both struggled to undress one another from being unwilling to even simply stop kissing. Wei Wuxian’s clothes in particular, though they seemed to be made of little more than gossamer, were fastened oddly and in many layers. As much as he wanted him at this moment, Wangji could not bear to hurt them as it felt like hurting the memory of Wei Wuxian’s dance. He did his best to remove them without harming them. 

When Wei Wuxian was sufficiently undressed, Lan Wangji turned him over onto all fours beneath him. He had to stop here and hold him for a moment, savoring everything about him. Wei Wuxian responded with a soft moan of contentment, curling his back up against Wangji. Wangji shuddered, his cock throbbing painfully against Wei Wuxian’s back; it was lucky he was drunk, or even that might have made him cum. 

“Hurry. Put it in,” Wei Wuxian begged softly.

“…can’t. Hurt you,” Wangji mumbled.

“Ah…ha ha. I doubt it. I did say it to tease you that time, but the thing I told you about the broom handle is true. That and…I hoped my dance might tempt you tonight. So I…you know. Thought ahead.” The normally impossible-to-embarrass Wei Wuxian swallowed and said in a whisper, “It was a little uncomfortable dancing with certain parts…wet. And sensitive. But…the whole time I was thinking about what it would be like if you grabbed me in the middle of it and threw me down, even if front of all those people. The dancer held down by the great general…taking in all his passion…only meant for him…hurry Lan Zhan, just thinking about it I already feel like it’s too much.”

Nothing in these words was designed to spare Wangji’s heart, or the throbbing of his cock. With a soft gasp, he lost all control and thrust his cock as deep as he could inside the one he loved. Wei Wuxian coughed out a heavy gasp, reaching up over his head and clinging to Wangji’s shoulder so hard he left marks. 

“Lan…Zhan…!” he gasped.

Just moments later, before Wangji had even begun to move, Wei Wuxian’s hole clamped down on him. The smaller man gasped and twitched, and soiled Wangji’s bedsheets with a thick stream of cum. Wei Wuxian fell limp and trembling inside Wangji’s grasp.

Wangji wanted to give him a moment to rest, but his increased tightness made his hips twitch against his will. He gasped and clung to Wei Wuxian, crossing his arms over his chest and leaving him nowhere to run as he buried himself deep inside him over and over. 

Every sensation, from Wei Ying’s body heat, to his trembling, his gasping breath, the way he now and then clung painfully tight to him, seemed only to increase his pleasure. Yet at the same time, what he felt most strongly of all was deep happiness and contentment to have a Wei Wuxian who also cared about him held securely in his arms. He kept unconsciously breathing in and biting at the skin just below the hairline on his neck.

“Wei Ying,” he whispered against his skin, closing his eyes to savor everything about this moment.

Wei Wuxian’s gasps were growing more and more desperate. “Lan Zhan…I just came…it’s too much!”

But sweet pleas like this only made Lan Wangji more determined to take him harder. He pushed Wei Ying flat down on the bed and wrapped his legs around him, further tightening and steepening the angle inside him. The first thrust in this position caused a panicked gasp to rise from Wei Wuxian. With the next thrust, a near scream. 

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan…” he begged breathlessly, though Wangji’s thrusting didn’t stop. He managed between moans, “This position…ahh!!! It won’t stop…please…spare me!”

Wangji gritted his teeth as waves of pleasure rolled down his back at hearing Wei Wuxian’s desperate cries beneath him. Contrary to his husband’s wishes, he shifted his hips to reach even deeper inside him, pounding down and attempting to punish Wei Wuxian’s prostate directly. 

Wei Wuxian’s moans grew weaker and yet more overwhelmed. “No…again…I can’t stop…” he gasped. “Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!!!” he screamed as he once again tightened down almost painfully hard on Wangji’s cock. 

Wangji too let out a gasp, feeling as if Wei Wuxian were intentionally milking everything out of him. He felt he came against his will and could barely even see, let alone move afterward. 

The first time he slept with Wei Wuxian, finding his release allowed him some clarity afterward. But this time, possibly because he was drunk, or possibly because Wei Wuxian was too adorable, he only felt the heat and affection immediately rising again inside him. After breathing for a while to recover, he began placing reverent kisses all along Wei Wuxian’s back and neck. 

“Ah…ah…” Wei Wuxian moaned and responded cutely to each kiss. “Lan Zhan…don’t…I’m going to want it again…”

Wangji’s lips actually curved up in a soft smile. “I can give more than you can take,” Lan Wangji whispered in his ear.

“Ngh!” Wei Wuxian cried, tightening around him again. “Lan Zhan…let me be on top…I want to see you…”

Wangji reluctantly pulled out of him and lay down on the bed, allowing Wei Wuxian to straddle his waist. Wei Wuxian grinned as he got on top of him, playfully stretching both hands across Wangji’s taught and muscular chest. He bit his lip as, inch by inch, he lowered himself back down onto Wangji’s cock. Once their hips met, he let out a cry and his head fell back.

“Right there…” he whispered. He let his head fall to one side and sighed sweetly. “Every time you hit me all the way at the back…my mind goes blank. Let me go slow a little…I want to feel it more.”

Wangji’s breathing heightened at these unnecessarily erotic words. He squeezed Wei Wuxian’s knees, softly encouraging the gorgeous creature who occupied every corner in Wangji’s heart, as he slowly shifted Wangji’s cock inside him, exactly where he wanted it. 

The spot Wei Wuxian was referring to was exactly where he felt tightest to Wangji. Wangji swallowed slightly as he realized it must be the point where his insides twisted. Which meant that it was possible, with the right angle, Wangji’s tip could slip inside that further ring inside him, filling him even more deeply. He had a ridiculous but thoroughly exciting thought that he wanted to fill his husband’s insides with his cum.

His breathing grew yet more ragged as he could not shake this thought from his mind. Though he adored his husband’s gently erotic swaying on top of him, his desire for him was overwhelming. He moved his hands up to Wei Wuxian’s hips, while at the same time he planted both feet into the bed in preparation to move his hips. 

“Nh? Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian murmured. 

Then another scream of shock and pleasure as Lan Wangji thrust powerfully up inside him. He held his small waist in both hands, gripping so tight he formed red marks on the pure white skin. Wei Wuxian let out strangled noises as he helplessly struggled to remain upright through the feeling of Wangji driving up inside him from yet another angle. 

“I can’t…I can’t…”

Wei Wuxian crumpled down onto Wangji’s chest and clung to him like a scared child, but Wangji did not stop for a moment. He grasped Wei Ying’s round ass firmly in his hands to yank him down repeatedly even harder onto Wangji’s cock. 

Wei Wuxian’s breaths were full of cries in both directions. His inward breaths made Wangji’s spine tingle, and each outward moan urged him to fuck even harder. He felt so good, he only wanted more, so he didn’t quite realize as the pitch of Wei Wuxian’s breathing changed to somewhat hyperventilating. His breaths grew faster and yet had more pauses between them. Then just as Wangji buried himself as deep as possible while gripping the back of Wei Wuxian’s hair, his love’s breathing briefly stopped, then his body went limp, and finally grew more regular again as he passed out completely.

Wangji was still shaking. He could tell Wei Wuxian was unconscious and he was worried, but he couldn’t even release his grip on his hair. The pleasure had ravaged him so much that he was struggling to stay awake too. And even as it slowly came down, what was left in its place was desperate care for this impossibly wonderful creature. Wangji squeezed him tightly, promising that every day would be spent in worship of him. 

…

“You want another ceremony?” Lan Xichen asked curiously, as Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian approached him the next day. 

Lan Wangji nodded. “Wei Wuxian should be my principle husband, not a concubine.”

Xichen’s eyes lit up with restrained joy at these words. He glanced toward Wei Wuxian for confirmation, though the devilish man was as ever in a mood to be contrary. 

Wei Ying shrugged. “I’d also not argue if you wanted to set me free. But ‘husband’ sounds almost as good. Oh! Or I could be your chamber maid! Isn’t it risqué? The slutty maid sneaking into his master’s bedroom every night to-“

“Wei Ying,” Wangji said sharply, as Xichen coughed purposefully. 

As Wei Wuxian blushed under Xichen’s gaze, still apparently quite intimidated by him and only just seeming to realize he and Wangji weren’t alone, Xichen smiled up at Wangji again. 

“On that matter, there is no cause for concern,” said the serene emperor. “I took Master Wei’s former rank into account at the start, so officially you are recorded as having been properly married. All that remains is the formality of giving gifts to Master Wei’s family…difficult under the circumstances. May I suggest you offer Master Wei himself a present instead?”

“Ha!” Wei Wuxian laughed. “Now I remember why everyone had a crush on you during indoctrination, Big Brother.”

“Excuse me?” “What?” asked both brothers simultaneously.

Wei Wuxian blinked rapidly, suddenly conscious of what he had just done. He offered a feeble smile. “I mean…’Your Majesty’ ?” 

He pathetically attempted to pretend the issue was with the form of address. But he quite correctly guessed he was in for some punishment from Lan Wangji and some awkwardness from Lan Xichen for quite a while following this incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	12. Lianfang-hua

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most celebrated courtesan in the Lanling Kingdom, Meng Yao, is given as a gift to Emperor Xichen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: “when a white horse is not a horse” is a famous paradox in Chinese logic. Worth a google. 😛

While seeing his brother happy was a great relief to him, the title of ‘emperor’ did not suit Lan Xichen well at all. In fact it was a near-constant source of anxiety for him. He tried his best to think of it as a duty, otherwise the thought of having so much power threatened to drown him. A particularly uncomfortable experience was accepting tributes.

There was no way around this; if he did not accept at least something small once a year, his tributary kingdoms would perceive him as ineffectual. He sent out instructions for tributes to be more symbolic than ostentatious, and for no single kingdom to offer more than it could spare. He could not quite foresee how one kingdom in particular, the Lanling Kingdom, would interpret this directive.

King Jin Guangshan smiled broadly as he entered the hall with his son Prince Jin Zixuan in order to pay their tribute. Though his impression of Jin Guangshan was not yet a complete one, it was so far not particularly favorable. Nevertheless, Xichen returned the smile and stood from his throne to greet them. He had already forgotten what that meant.

By law, as all visitors were carefully instructed before meeting him, Xichen descending to their own level meant his guests would have to kowtow once before facing him again. Xichen closed his eyes in mortification as this happened, resolving to be more careful in future. 

“Please rise, King Guangshan,” he said, trying to hide his embarrassment. “This is not an official occasion, so there is no need to be so strict. It is good to see you.”

“Ah, yes, how kind,” said Guangshan, his face as ever unreadable in its smile, so Xichen had no idea whether or not he actually was offended. “It may not be official, but I do hope you’ll enjoy the gift we prepared for you.”

“I’m sure I will,” Xichen answered politely. 

However, he was certain as he glanced over Jin Guangshan’s shoulder that his son, Jin Zixuan, looked distinctly uncomfortable. Was he just nervous to be in front of the emperor? Or was there perhaps something about the topic of the tribute that bothered him?

Jin Guangshan gestured toward his own soldiers behind him, who in turn called for a palanquin to be brought in. Xichen was a bit dumbfounded at this method for carrying tribute. After all, it couldn’t possibly be a person. But at this thought, suddenly he got a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, and before he could convince himself that he was wrong, the curtain was lifted. 

A rustle of gold silk. A slender, slippered foot. A delicate, pale hand. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, this was Lan Xichen’s first sight of the famed courtesan, Meng Yao. 

He was so dazzling that at first Xichen thought a painting had come to life. While his long hair hung freely at the back, the front portions were gathered over his head, adorned with a golden, jeweled hair pin that made a pleasant tinkling noise as he moved. It was matched by a beautiful gold necklace of two phoenixes meeting over his collarbones. His slender shoulders were visible under a gauze coat of golden thread, and a ruqun dress temptingly hiding everything below his chest. A single pink pibo snaked through his arms and draped down behind his back. Subtle makeup accentuated his already refined and alluring features, to such an extent that not only was Xichen unable to tell his gender at first glance, it didn’t even occur to him to care one way or the other. He stood speechless before this person’s beauty before it occurred to him to ask any questions about them.

His heart squeezed suddenly as, after bowing deeply, the achingly beautiful person cautiously met his eyes. Though most of their expression remained controlled, those lovely eyes fluttered slightly, their chest rising with a sudden inward breath. Xichen was too captivated watching this reaction to move.

But he took in a sudden breath as well as he realized his rudeness for staring. “Forgive me. This must be…” He paused before assuming on his own who this was. He didn’t wish to be rude, but even if their cultivation were astonishingly high, this person looked much too young to be Queen Jin. “…Her Highness?” he asked slightly vaguely, allowing for the possibility this was Jin Zixuan’s wife instead.

To his surprise, this question provoked disdain from Jin Guangshan. The older man chuckled slightly to cover his own disgust. “No. Forgive me, Your Majesty, but you do him far too much honor. This is your tribute.”

Xichen was too shocked by these words even to repeat them. He looked back at Jin Guangshan with a blank expression that he hoped was merely perceived as confusion, but which was in fact a significant degree of horror. 

“Meng Yao. Also called, the Flower of Restrained Fragrance, Lianfang-hua,” Guangshan explained, and Meng Yao curtseyed elegantly as he did. “The most costly courtesan in Lanling. Though I must admit, I’m sure some of that is due to his parentage,” Guangshan said with a crass laugh. As Xichen gazed at him in shock at what he was implying, Guangshan coughed and recovered himself, “Of course, I mean his mother. In her time, she was the most famous and well-regarded, beautiful and talented courtesan in her generation. If you don’t mind men, his reputation is already higher than any women in my kingdom. Eh…is it possible he displeases Your Majesty?”

Xichen was trying to keep himself from visibly shaking with disgust. Having been raised with Lan morality, quite frankly, he tried to pretend the concept of prostitution did not exist. He neither wanted to be judgmental about sexuality nor the necessities of poverty, but he also found it painful to consider the psychological implications of having to sell one’s body in order to survive. For that matter, he did not want to think about the inhumanity of those who dehumanized others for temporary pleasure in using these businesses. The other things Jin Guangshan had implied in his crass speech just now were equally shocking and abhorrent to him, but foremost in his mind was his visceral revulsion that someone would think he would appreciate being given a living human being as a gift.

The silence continued until Xichen realized he could cause a war by reacting poorly. “I…am not…experienced in such things. Prostitution is not common in Gusu, and is forbidden entirely inside the Cloud Recesses.”

Now it was Jin Guangshan’s turn to be shocked. “Ah…ahhh,” he said, quickly recovering himself, at least on the surface. “Is that so? Then I have perhaps made the wrong choice…”

Xichen’s politeness would normally force him to respond that it was all right, but he could not bring himself to say words that would accept the concept of treating human beings as commodities. While he struggled with his words, Jin Guangshan bowed deeply, as did Jin Zixuan and Meng Yao as well. 

“The Kingdom of Lanling gives its deepest apologies for any offense,” said Guangshan. “We have also brought several bolts of brocade, so for the moment, please accept those at least.”

Xichen nodded vaguely. Unfortunately, he happened to glance toward Meng Yao as he rose from his curtsey. In sharp contrast to just moments ago, when Xichen had felt a deep connection from those beautiful eyes, now they seemed hollow. His stomach twisted as he started to imagine one of many reasons why a courtesan would react this way to being refused by an emperor. 

“May…” his chest hurt and his throat closed as he tried to ask. He took a deep breath and began again. “May I ask…what will become of him after this?” he asked in an undertone, hoping only to be heard by Jin Guangshan.

“Him? Well, back to work, I suppose. To be honest, it’s no small thing to give up such a profitable one, so it’s actually a relief you didn’t want him. Ha ha ha.”

Xichen couldn’t help his eyes from being drawn once again to Meng Yao’s desperately beautiful face. The courtesan strictly controlled his reaction, barely revealing that he had even heard the words. Either he was simply a superb actor, or he had heard similar things said about him before. Xichen felt as if a cavern had opened up inside his chest. Suddenly the thought of this person being taken away to languish as a tool for profit until an inevitable early death was impossible to bear.

“Please wait,” Xichen murmured softly. “I…do not know of courtesans, but I have much need of artisans in my court. In particular, those with talents in dance and poetry. The status, I’m afraid, would be slightly lower. But Master Meng, if you would…if life in Yunmeng, or my court, seems appealing to you…I would be happy to find you a place here.”

Those temptingly cerise red lips parted. Meng Yao’s dark, alluring eyes slowly opened wider. He gazed up at Xichen as if looking at a holy creature; he couldn’t quite seem to believe what he was hearing. The sparks of hope that seemed to light up inside his eyes increased his beauty to a degree that gave Xichen physical pain.

But after only a moment of this expression of restrained hope, Meng Yao quickly glanced toward the person trying to present him as a gift. Jin Guangshan looked understandably somewhat flustered. 

“Your Majesty…I admit he has talents, but if it is artists, or poets, or singers or dancers you want, Langling has any number of-“

“Master Meng?” Xichen prompted softly, only looking at Meng Yao.

Meng Yao almost looked as if he might cry as he gazed up longingly at Xichen. Slowly, his gaze shifted down. He looked trapped. 

“Do you think you would like life in Lotus Pier?”

Meng Yao’s lips parted slowly. A barely audible whisper escaped him, “…yes…”

“Ah. Well,” Jin Guangshan said, seeming to be hiding his displeasure. “He can be of some use to you then? Excellent, excellent. Heh heh. Glad to hear it.”

“King Guangshan. Prince Zixuan. Please stay in Lotus Pier as long as you would like. And thank you for your gifts. Your Highness,” said Xichen with a soft bow. 

Jin Guangshan and Jin Zixuan quickly bowed deeply in response. 

“Master Meng,” Xichen said, gesturing toward the inner halls of the palace behind him. 

Meng Yao looked worriedly toward the one Xichen highly suspected was in fact his father. But Jin Guangshan would not even look in his direction. Meng Yao’s gaze lowered. Cautiously, he looked up and even more hesitantly took a step forward, extending his delicately adorned foot and swishing his gossamer robes as he followed Lan Xichen. 

…

Meng Yao had been expecting very little when he agreed to his father’s request to become a tribute to the Lan emperor. The increase in status of course did appeal to him, but as he had long since given up seeking his father’s approval – which had already almost killed him as it had his mother – the main thing he looked forward to was simply having to deal with fewer clients. He did not expect to be appreciated. He did not expect to be happy. He did not expect to be treated as a human being.

And yet now, as he walked beside the ethereally handsome Lan emperor, his stomach still felt full of butterflies. His mind kept replaying Xichen’s offer to him over and over. The way he had looked into his eyes and addressed him with respect, as if he were any normal man. He still couldn’t believe it. 

He quickly realized he almost had to take two steps for every one of Lan Xichen’s. But the Lan emperor purposefully matched Meng Yao’s pace, keeping him in his peripheral vision in an impossibly kind gesture given their difference in status. 

“Of…dancing, painting and poetry,” Xichen said in a light-hearted tone. “Which would you say is your forte?”

Meng Yao’s heartbeat rose just at hearing his low, husky voice, not to mention at his angelic smile. How was someone so handsome also so kind? Meng Yao had not known that combination was possible. He must have a terrible temper, he thought, or perhaps some particularly perverse fetish. 

But his training as one of the most exclusive courtesans alive quickly kicked in and he answered politely, “To be honest, I am no more than a fair hand at any. I am happy to be of service wherever I am required.”

Xichen’s gaze lowered, seemingly in disappointment. Meng Yao felt a thrum of fear that he would become disillusioned with him and throw him away. “Or…perhaps Your Imperial Majesty can judge for yourself? Since it was my original purpose here anyway, would you permit me to entertain you?”

But at this, Lan Xichen looked almost sad. He gradually turned away from looking at Meng Yao as they walked. “I…only really enjoy such entertainments when they are shared among equals.”

Meng Yao felt stabbed by these words. His own inferiority complex was already significant before he even began work as a courtesan. Now he was standing before an emperor. He felt so small he could have slipped through a gap in the marble floor. 

“I see,” he said softly. “How unfortunate it is, then, that you have no equal, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Xichen’s face seemed to become even more melancholy. But he nodded slightly. He opened his mouth to agree, but suddenly he seemed to have had a spark of an idea. He turned to Meng Yao and said with a note of excitement, “Then, Master Meng, shall we be equals?”

These words were so hard to believe that Meng Yao simply didn’t. He had had more than one aristocratic client like this, in fact. The kind who thought they could save him. Take him away from this life. But they had one thing in common: romantic notions that had nothing to do with reality. 

He gave a small, sufficiently humble laugh. “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

Xichen sighed. “The truth is, I long for conversation. Not socializing, which can be extremely tiring in my current position. Rather, an equal with whom I can share experiences, without the need to posture. Perhaps, at least until you find a more permanent position, you could simply be my friend?”

Meng Yao offered a grateful smile, as was appropriate, but in his heart he cursed such folly. Romantics really were the worst, he thought. The more they believed in love and human connection, the more seductive and credible their pretty words and soft sighs appeared, even to those as jaded as he. When in reality, all they could ever provide was a dream of spun sugar, which would melt at the first drops of rain.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” he said with his best pure-hearted smile.

He was relieved, and yet somehow felt himself growing even more jaded within, when Xichen’s pleased smile beamed back at him. Yet, as much as he wanted to despise and use this man as he had all others, each time Xichen’s offer repeated in his mind, somehow he lost the will to resent him. And so began the courtesan Meng Yao’s strange existence as a professional friend of the emperor, Lan Xichen.

Weeks passed with little occupation for Meng Yao but to be a conversation partner for the lonely emperor, and so he immersed himself in the arts in the meantime. One thing Meng Yao noticed early: Lan Xichen’s conversation was odd. He was extremely polite, empathetic and deferential, even with the servants Meng Yao observed him speaking to, but he seemed to have a finite capacity for small talk. When it ran out, he frequently gazed off into space, sometimes for minutes at a time, and would return with bizarre observations about totally unrelated topics. 

On one occasion, he said, “Do you suppose a white horse is still a horse?”

Meng Yao, who had been in the middle of painting while he waited for Xichen’s speaking energy to return, stopped entirely what he was doing and turned to look at him. Xichen was standing by the large, open doors of the tea room they were sitting in, a spacious room with a veranda overlooking the main courtyard of Lotus Pier. He was looking like some forlorn banished prince, and yet talking like a drunken philosopher.

Meng Yao took a slow breath in as he considered what these words could possibly mean. He decided to take them at face value. “…’white’ is only a precise description. The thing in question is still called ‘horse,’ so if it is not a horse, I do not know what it is.”

Xichen blinked back at him. “A white horse,” he answered, as if this was obvious.

Meng Yao closed his eyes to actually consider the issue carefully. After a few moments’ thought, he replied, “Then what color is ‘a horse’?”

“Hm,” Xichen thought deeply for a moment, seeming entirely pleased by this reply and wanting to mull it over at leisure. Meng Yao even thought he saw a smile pushing at Xichen’s mouth as he turned back to look out the window and consider his reply again. “Yes. One wishes to say ‘any,’ but any individual horse cannot be ‘any’ color, it must be ‘one’ color. Or at least a limited number. Even if it simultaneous possessed all colors, it would not be ‘any’ color but ‘all.’”

Meng Yao felt himself smiling even before he realized it. Conversation like this was never something he had sought out before, but it scratched at an itch he had long felt. When he caught himself smiling without intending to, he stopped and nervously turned back to his painting. 

“I suppose this means I had better paint some horses of every color I can think of, before you logic them all out of existence.”

Xichen blinked, instantly realizing the subtle argument Meng Yao was making, without overtly disagreeing. If white horses were not horses, then no color of horse was a horse. In other words, if white horses were not horses, there was no such thing as a horse. Realizing this, Xichen did something he rarely did and laughed lightly out loud. Meng Yao’s spine tingled at the delightful sound, but he pretended to be absorbed in his painting. 

“A-Yao,” Xichen said, coming to stand a little nearer. “Shall we have dinner together tonight?”

Meng Yao’s hand hesitated, his brush on the edge of dripping ink to the floor beneath him. He carefully applied the leaves to the tree he had been painting before he replied calmly, “Not together, Your Majesty, but I can join you after.”

“Why not together?” 

Meng Yao gave a small chuckle. “Of course, an emperor is permitted to spend as much time with his courtesan as he wants. But certain…more public events must be handled with tact.”

Xichen seemed to realize what he meant after a moment; meals were somewhat ritualized for the imperial family. They currently sat at a table with the emperor, his brother and brother-in-law only. Meng Yao was correctly pointing out that a courtesan could not reasonably join such a table, even if the only other eyes to see were servants. 

“Then let’s have dinner in my room,” Xichen suggested with a note of excitement.

Meng Yao gave an exhausted smile. “Your Majesty…that is solving one problem by creating another. Your palace staff will most certainly gossip if you do not eat with your family.”

Xichen sighed, seeming to realize there was no way he could eat with Meng Yao without upsetting his servants, whose gossip would undoubtedly spread. “You will join me after then?”

“Of course. As you wish, Your Majesty.”

…

Meng Yao did not eat dinner at all that night. Instead, he returned to his own chamber and took a long bath, cleaning his body thoroughly. At one point he felt his fingers shaking. He sighed in self-deprecation. He had seduced countless men; he had no excuse for feeling so nervous now. Was he just out of practice from several weeks of time off from sleeping with men for money?

He made sure his skin was soft and supple, applying only the barest amount of sweet-smelling lotion, as he knew Xichen’s nose was sensitive. He combed his hair until it was its silkiest, pleasant to touch. He did not bother with a hair pin this time. Similarly, he only dressed in two, soft, easy-to-remove layers. Knowing Xichen as he did by now, he had pegged him as extremely inexperienced, if not in fact a virgin. When virgins snapped and finally gave into their desires, especially the repressed ones, there was no point in wearing fine clothes that would only be torn by overenthusiastic hands.

He had already been informed by the servants of Lotus Pier of the secret passageways used by paramours of the emperor to avoid being seen. He used them and went to await Xichen in his bedroom. He could not explain why he was feeling this way, but the closer the time came to Xichen’s first proper “visit” with him, the more his stomach felt queasy. 

Xichen entered the room softly as he did everything. Meng Yao was sitting languidly with his bare feet temptingly visible propped up on the divan he was sitting on. But Xichen only smiled as he usually did to see him. 

“A-Yao. How was your dinner?” he asked, coming to sit nearby him.

Meng Yao smiled slightly. “If it is no imposition, Your Majesty, I prefer not to talk of food during times like these.”

Xichen tilted his head in confusion. “…like these?” he repeated.

Meng Yao nodded. He placed a dainty foot onto the cold marble, then the other, and stood before the emperor. He tugged the tie of his outer garment, and the silk robe fluttered to the ground. As Xichen watched dumbfounded, Meng Yao performed the same action with his inner robe. 

He stood naked but for a gold bracelet each on his opposite wrist and ankle. He was confident that his body, raised purposefully from the time he was a teenager to be soft and androgynous, would not be displeasing even to a heterosexual man. Although he was aware by now that Xichen was not exactly predictable in any respect.

“…A-Yao…” Xichen said with a slight tremor in his voice, looking up worriedly toward Meng Yao’s eyes. 

“Your Majesty,” Meng Yao said softly, approaching him and holding out his hand. “There is no need to hold yourself back. This body belongs entirely to you. No one will know, and no one will judge you for making use of what is yours.”

But Xichen immediately looked away. Meng Yao could have been wrong, but he thought the emperor’s gentle, baleful eyes showed traces of pain. “I do not want this,” he said.

Meng Yao sighed. “I know. You are a romantic. You only want to hold those you love.”

“…yes…” Xichen whispered.

“But of the many privileges of being emperor, love is a luxury not afforded to him,” Meng Yao said patiently. “Under the circumstances, we must all take advantage of what we have, or we will simply have nothing.”

“…but I do love,” Xichen replied, though in his eyes there was more sadness than ever.

At that moment, several things suddenly made sense to Meng Yao. He cursed his own naivete for not realizing sooner. The reason he was so nervous tonight, the reason he could not hate Lan Xichen no matter how much he tried, and the reason his heart broke into pieces at hearing that there was someone Xichen loved. All were the same. He started to berate himself for doing the stupidest thing a prostitute could ever do, the thing that had hastened his mother’s death. But then he glanced at the mournful look in the ethereally beautiful emperor’s eyes, and his heart softened; no, he decided. It was unreasonable to expect anyone not to fall in love with Lan Xichen. Even himself.

He let out a soft, shaking sigh. “I see,” he murmured, hoping he kept the emotion from his voice. “But no matter how much you love them, you cannot marry them. I assume this is the case or you would have mentioned it before.”

Xichen did not answer. But his gaze lowered to the floor in despair, and he didn’t really need to.

Meng Yao nodded. “Then there is no issue. You cannot be with them. Can you think of me as them, perhaps if you close your eyes?”

To his shock, he watched as a tear rolled down the alabaster cheek of the Lan emperor. Xichen closed his eyes and shook his head. “Impossible,” he whispered.

Meng Yao felt as if he had been run through. Not only did Xichen love someone, and so deeply as to move him to tears, but apparently Meng Yao was so inferior to them – or at least so different – that even all the power of Xichen’s imagination could not make them alike. He couldn’t move for a few moments, feeling suddenly extremely cold. With the cold, and the sensation of the softest breeze against his skin, came the humiliation. He had come here expecting at least to be used as a tool by the one he loved. Apparently he was not even worthy of that.

Shaking, Meng Yao nevertheless knelt on the floor in front of Xichen and placed one delicate hand on each of the emperor’s knees. “In this position you will not be able to see or feel my body,” he whispered, through the worst mortification he had ever felt in his life. “Everyone’s mouth feels roughly the same, I assure you.”

“Stop!” Xichen cried, holding his shoulders back as Meng Yao approached the apex of his legs. 

His hands were so large that only the slightest pressure was required to push back Meng Yao’s frail shoulders. Even as he was rejecting him with his whole being, he was still so gentle. Meng Yao finally gave in to despair in that moment. He was so humiliated and broken-hearted that he could not move. He remained where he was, kneeling naked on the marble before the emperor, as Xichen slowly restored his breathing.

“A-Yao,” he said, a soft plea. “I cannot…”

Meng Yao nodded numbly. “Then you should kill me.”

Xichen gasped sharply. “…what?” he whispered.

“I cannot stay here as a painter. Or a poet. A dancer,” Meng Yao enumerated softly. “I will only ever be one thing, my father made certain of that. There is only one way that I can stay by your side, Lan Xichen, and that is to be the object of your desire. If I am not, then-“

“But you are that.”

These words broke slowly over Meng Yao’s ears. He had been so sure he knew where this conversation was going, he had sunk so far down in his despair that they didn’t make sense to him at first. And then something that amazed him.

Lan Xichen slipped from the chair he had been sitting in, kneeling with his own knees on either side of Meng Yao’s much smaller ones, and gathered Meng Yao into his arms. His fingers, as they softly held Meng Yao’s shoulders, were trembling. 

“I’m sorry, A-Yao. I only wanted to give you a place of safety. But I’ve ruined it.”

Meng Yao didn’t follow. He could barely cope with the feeling of being held so gently. What was happening? 

“Ruined…how?” he murmured.

After a long pause, and a shaking breath, Xichen murmured, “It doesn’t matter.” He took another significant silence, seemingly in thought, without the slightest sign that he would let Meng Yao go any time soon. “If I understand you…by not calling for you at night, I have been removing your sense of purpose?”

Meng Yao’s heart fluttered as it seemed Xichen might be about to change his mind. “It is my purpose,” he agreed softly.

“And without this purpose, you cannot stay here?”

Meng Yao nodded. 

Xichen took a few, slow breaths without speaking. Gradually, his grasp on Meng Yao loosened. He seemed to relax and give in. “I understand,” he said. “But…” Meng Yao’s heart wrenched at this small word. Xichen sighed. “…I’m afraid I have not only no experience, but also no idea what I would like.”

A shudder of relief passed down Meng Yao’s cold body. “That problem is easily solved,” he said, hesitantly stroking Xichen’s back in order to reassure him. “I can try some of my most popular methods, and you can tell me which you prefer.”

Xichen still seemed hesitant. Eventually, he said, “I think I could only bear the guilt if we simply did things you like yourself. Are there any such things?”

Meng Yao had to fight back the urge to gasp audibly at Xichen’s constant care for his feelings, even when he seemed to be broken-hearted himself. No one had ever asked Meng Yao even whether or not he liked sex before, let alone what he preferred. He was at a loss for a moment. 

“I…” he began, unusually failing to craft his words before opening his mouth. He let his mind wander toward what he had been thinking about doing with Xichen these past few weeks. He had never consciously acknowledged his own desire for another human being before. Doing so made him feel suddenly very exposed. 

His cheeks felt hot. He swallowed. 

“A-Yao…if the answer is ‘nothing,’ then please tell me something else I can do,” Xichen said softly, reading his troubled expression. “For my own selfish desires, I wish to keep you near. But beyond that, please believe me that the only thing I desire is your happiness.”

Meng Yao immediately shook his head on impulse, but not toward Xichen’s words. Toward his own heart that had started to believe them. Nevertheless, he realized most people were never this lucky. The one he loved was holding him softly, willingly indulging him in any desire he chose. His heart began to pound louder in his chest as he realized how hard Xichen’s body was under his fingers, and how pleasantly he smelled softly of sandalwood and his own natural scent. He only wanted to close his eyes and sink against him.

The fact remained that, if he could not be of use sexually, Meng Yao feared he would not be able to bear the guilt of staying here and feeling useless. So what did he want? The question was surprisingly hard to answer. He was rarely the aggressor in his work, and even then, only when clients requested it. He had never had sex with anyone because he wanted to. He had no idea what it should be like.

“…may I kiss you?” he asked softly, feeling immediately mortified by his own words.

Xichen’s eyes softened as they gazed down at him. He nodded. 

Meng Yao hesitantly reached his hands up to rest on Xichen’s broad and reassuring shoulders. He felt pulled in toward him even before he consciously moved closer. Xichen was so handsome, it was painful to look at him this close. Meng Yao allowed his eyes to caress each portion of Xichen’s face with reverence as he drew close enough to feel Xichen’s breath on his lips. 

But as he leaned in close in order to kiss him, suddenly the guilt became too much. He did not deserve Xichen’s first kiss, he thought with a river of pain running through his chest. At the last moment, he turned, placing his kiss softly against Xichen’s cheek.

As he drew away, shaking, Xichen watched him curiously. “I thought…you meant a kiss on the lips. Do lovers not do this?”

The ache in Meng Yao’s chest only grew wider. “We are not lovers, Your Majesty.”

Xichen’s lips parted and a breath escaped him. But he quickly closed it and recovered his expression, closing his eyes. “Forgive me. Then, do courtesans not do this?”

“I don’t,” Meng Yao lied, to protect himself from having to answer why he had lost his nerve just now. “But…if Your Majesty commands me, I can.”

Xichen actually gave a soft, self-deprecating laugh. “If only I could command you not to take my commands.”

Meng Yao frowned at him. The more he knew of Lan Xichen, paradoxically the less he seemed to understand him. He was willing to accept that what seemed to be altruism was at least a very noble attempt at the real thing. Even that Xichen could pity someone as far down the social ladder as he, given that he was even kind to animals. But he would never accept that Xichen’s concern for him was anything more than pity.

This didn’t stop him from the desire that rose more and more the longer he spent beside him. “Well then…shall we make a rule that I am the one who makes the commands as long as we are in bed?”

He expected the moralizing and pure Lan emperor to blush, but Xichen smiled softly. Meng Yao thought there might have even been a trace of desire in his gentle eyes. “All right,” he said. “What shall I do next, Master?”

Meng Yao shivered from head to toe. “Kiss me…” the words fell from his lips before he thought them through.

Xichen merely nodded with a soft smile and, just as Meng Yao took in a breath in preparation to finally be kissed, Xichen’s lips pressed warmly to his cheek. 

“And next?”

Meng Yao’s breathing wouldn’t settle as desire seemed to rage through him with the soft touch of Xichen’s lips where he wasn’t expecting it. “Hold me,” he whispered.

The words had barely left his mouth before Xichen gathered him in his arms and pulled his naked body onto his lap. Meng Yao flushed at how little effort it took him to move his whole body. And then he had to shiver and let his head fall to Xichen’s shoulder as he was enveloped in warm and comforting sensations by being held so close.

He could hear and feel Xichen’s breathing rising too. His grasp on Meng Yao gradually tightened until it was hard to breathe, but Meng Yao didn’t want it to stop. He felt so good in fact that irrational words slipped out of him.

“Couldn’t I be the one…?” he whispered against Xichen’s shoulder.

Xichen’s fingers tightened over his body. “A-Yao, my dear one…you are. That’s the problem.”

Meng Yao froze. There must have been some miscommunication. He waited nervously for Xichen to explain, as the larger man stroked Meng Yao’s hair sweetly.

“Because…no one can ever love their employer,” Xichen murmured softly, grasping Meng Yao’s hair as if trying to change the reality. “I’m sure especially now. I’ve proven I’m just like all the others. In the end, I couldn’t cherish you and treat you with the respect your deserve.”

Meng Yao’s chest tinged and his eyes stung. He told himself that was exactly right. Xichen had done exactly what he predicted. He was not disappointed, he told himself, because he knew this would happen. And yet there was a painful sensation deep in his heart, a flicker of hope that Xichen had been, and still was, different. 

This thought made him afraid, and he wrapped his arms around Xichen’s neck instinctively, burying his face in his sleek, pleasant-smelling hair. “Xichen…” he whispered unconsciously. 

Xichen’s breath caught. He held Meng Yao even tighter before whispering in his ear, “Can I bring you to the bed?”

Meng Yao nodded into his hair.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	13. Camellia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending to the courtesan and emperor story. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: mentions of rape and sexual violence (not part of the main story).
> 
> Note: the camellia is a gloriously blooming flower which has no (or only a very faint) natural scent.

Xichen carried Meng Yao’s small, lithe body into his bed. His chest ached just to touch him, and in particular to feel how light he was to carry. He could tell Meng Yao had bathed before he came here, as there was a soft and slightly damp scent emanating from him, and he was uncharacteristically without makeup or jewelry. It gave Xichen the false impression that there was actual intimacy between them.

He had never seen Meng Yao appear as uncertain as he did now. It added yet another delightful charm to his already alluring mannerisms. At the same time, something about his expression struck Xichen as worrying. 

“A-Yao,” Xichen said softly as he knelt over him. “Is something wrong?”

Meng Yao’s eyes fluttered, glancing away from Xichen. That look said ‘yes.’ But moments later, “I must be out of practice,” he said, shaking his head with a self-deprecating smile. “Or perhaps you’re simply too handsome. My heart is really pounding.”

Xichen loved Meng Yao. He was certain of that now. But that did not mean he believed everything he said. 

He did not wish to distrust him, and he would never judge someone for their profession. But he knew it could not be for nothing that he was the most prized courtesan in Lanling. One of the things Xichen respected so much about him, in fact, was his deep understanding of human psychology. Therefore he assumed that most of the impression Meng Yao gave of actually liking him was some degree of acting. 

Xichen didn’t want A-Yao to feel that that was necessary; he didn’t expect his love. He was happy just being near him. But he didn’t know any other way to convince him that he was safe here, other than to give in to his request to have this impure relationship.

Xichen badly wished to touch his face, to comfort him. But he wanted to be very careful about letting Meng Yao feel he was in control. He wanted to erase all the years he had spent being used as an object by the inhumanly cruel. 

“What should I do next?” he asked gently.

Meng Yao let out a soft, shivering breath, and to his surprise the delicate man wrapped his arms around his neck and clung to him. Even if this was acting, his heart instantly melted. He cautiously embraced him around his back to support him. 

Meng Yao whispered, “I don’t know…I can’t think. But…it feels good when you touch me. Touch me more.”

Xichen’s heart felt squeezed. That was a request he was happy to answer. Still cradling Meng Yao’s back, he shifted so he was sitting on the bed with Meng Yao curled in the hollow of his body like a kitten. He lovingly caressed each portion of Meng Yao’s body in turn, beginning with stroking his hair. He cradled his face in his much larger hand, feeling almost painful happiness at the way Meng Yao’s eyes fluttered closed and his face leaned in slightly to Xichen’s touch. 

But the moment his hand stretched down, gliding down the lines of Meng Yao’s neck and coming to rest over his heart, the tone of his reactions changed. Meng Yao jolted and arched his back with a moan that echoed down into the deepest part of Xichen’s body. Meng Yao’s small fingers clung to Xichen’s robes and he seemed desperate, but he did not ask him to stop. Xichen let his hand cover Meng Yao’s chest on one side, squeezing down slightly and appreciating the softness of his body under his fingers. Meng Yao’s honeyed voice rang out again and when he arched his back this time, Xichen could see his reaction was not faked.

Even though he kept twisting in on himself to hide it, it was clear that the small, adorably pink cock between Meng Yao’s legs was hard and twitching. Xichen’s logic was quickly leaving him as desire to be fully connected with Meng Yao drove out all other thoughts. He spent all his mental energy keeping his own actions in check, making sure A-Yao still felt safe with him.

While watching his reactions carefully, he let his hand travel further down the beautiful body in his arms. As he reached up with his other hand to comfortingly stroke Meng Yao’s hair, he slid his hand between his legs. 

“Ahhh…!” Meng Yao cried, clinging to him with trembling hands. He wiggled and twitched in his grasp but made no sign that he wanted him to stop. So Xichen’s hand grew a little bolder.

He made sure Meng Yao was held securely in the valley of his legs and right arm as he caressed him with his left. Meng Yao’s cries kept getting more desperate, each one seemingly designed to drive Xichen’s desire for him to fever pitch. It was sweet agony to feel this erotic being surrounded in his arms and yet to only touch him directly with his hands. 

“Ah! Wait…wait…” Meng Yao whispered. “Let me…let me do it for you instead…”

“Do you dislike it?” Xichen asked softly, trying to conceal his disappointment.

“Eh? No…but this is strange…!” Meng Yao gasped. “I feel…strange…I don’t…know this…”

It took all Xichen’s self-control not to kiss him. But Meng Yao had been quite clear that he didn’t kiss, and he wouldn’t push him. He held him tighter in his arms and spoke softly against his hair. “I feel the same distress and uncertainty just being near you. When I breathe in, I feel like I’m floating. And every outward breath is a struggle not to cry out.”

Meng Yao moaned loudly and his hips began to shake as Xichen’s hand increased its pace. He didn’t seem to know where to turn, overwhelmed by what he was feeling. “Xichen…Xichen…” he gasped over and over as he clung to him. 

Now and then his supple and slender hips would brush against the most sensitive part of Xichen’s body, adding to his agony just from hearing his sweet voice. Each time he would let out a shaking breath and squeeze him just a little tighter before nervously backing his own hips away. It was not that Xichen had never tried things on his own, but he was not prepared for the explosion of sensations in his brain and over every inch of his skin just from being in a naked Meng Yao’s proximity. 

Finally, Meng Yao let out repeated, breathless cries as his body tensed in Xichen’s arms. His cock stiffened and jolted up. And then under Xichen’s devoted attentions it released, draping Xichen’s fingers in cum. Xichen watched this happen while barely able to take in a full breath, his heart hammering and his cock beginning to ache. 

With Meng Yao now limp and trembling in his arms, he reached for a washing bowl beside his bed, dipping the edge of his sleeve in the water. He used it to carefully clean off Meng Yao’s body, causing the smaller man to twitch repeatedly, but not object. 

After a moment though, his senses seemed to return to him and he said in a panic, “Your robe!”

Xichen shook his head. “It is nothing. A-Yao, this is what I desire. Will you not indulge me?”

Meng Yao showed the same mild look of confusion he had shown Xichen all evening. He didn’t seem to know how to respond, but obediently allowed Xichen to wipe down the parts of his body that had gotten moist or sweaty. That done, Xichen took the slender Meng Yao in the crook of his arm, stood up and crossed over to his dresser. From there, with his free hand he pulled out a night robe of soft periwinkle blue. 

He briefly set Meng Yao down on his feet in order to drape the voluminous garment around him. He chuckled slightly at how long the sleeves were on him. Meng Yao sighed and rolled his eyes at Xichen’s childish amusement.

“Yes, I am small,” he said sardonically, though Xichen was sure there was affection within his disdain.

Xichen tilted his head curiously. He once again gathered Meng Yao up into one arm, using his free hand to brush back a few stray locks of hair from his delicate features. “You are perfect.”

Meng Yao’s confusion increased at these words. Xichen hoped he might feel happy, but instead he looked almost resentful. He looked toward the floor, deep in thought, and Xichen feared to press the issue any further. 

He brought Meng Yao back into bed and settled down with his beautiful courtesan enclosed in his arms, resting on his chest. His scant weight only further increased Xichen’s desire for him, but he attempted to position their bodies so that Meng Yao could not feel his hardness. He was relieved when A-Yao closed his eyes not long after they settled down. 

“For treating me this way…” Meng Yao murmured in a soft yet biting voice that Xichen had never heard him use before. “…you will gain nothing but humiliation. You should ask your servants or soldiers, Your Majesty. The proper treatment of a whore.”

The warmth and comfort he had felt up until moments ago shattered and fell insignificantly apart. He closed his eyes and unconsciously held A-Yao tighter as if he could convince him how he felt just as long as he held him close enough. 

“You are not your past,” Xichen whispered, stroking his hair. 

It didn’t seem as if Meng Yao would respond to this. Perhaps he was already asleep. But almost a minute later, Xichen felt those small fingers tighten over the fabric on his chest. 

…

When Meng Yao awoke the next morning, he was back in his own chamber, in his own bed. But he still wore the emperor’s robe. As soon as he was cognizant enough to realize that, he got quickly out of bed and stripped it off himself with shaking hands as if it were red hot. 

He placed the garment carefully on a rack and stood back from it. It smelled like him. He wasn’t thinking as he reached out and touched the edge of the sleeve, thinking of how gently Xichen had brushed his hair from his face last night. How he had told him he was perfect. Meng Yao’s expression hardened into a bitter one. That idiot. 

He turned away from the robe to keep it from his sight as he prepared for the day. It occurred to him that he didn’t know what he should do with it. No amount of washing would make it fit for an emperor to wear again after he had spent the night sullying it. But it seemed equally wrong for him to keep it. With a twisting feeling in his gut, he remembered how Xichen had made him cum, only, and had not done so himself. His hand shook and his eyes stung as he thought to himself that this arrangement was almost like he was the one using Xichen for sex. He felt sick. 

Part of that might be that he still hadn’t had anything to eat since around noon the previous day. But his self-hatred in the aftermath of begging the one he loved for sex – something even the most desperate prostitute knew better than to ever sink to doing – and being instead stroked like an inexperienced callow boy, made him lose any appetite he might have had. Comforted instead of providing comfort. Using instead of being used. A useless, yet bothersome, whore. Had anyone ever been so shameless?

He had to distract himself and so he went to walk through the palace. He did not realize that Lotus Pier had a guest, but that was because this guest was one so close and trusted by the emperor that he came and went as he pleased. 

“A-Yao.”

Meng Yao froze. There were few voices he wanted to hear less at that moment than one of his former clients. In particular, the one to whom he owed the greatest debt. Who saved him from the gutter, at the cost of his last remaining innocence. 

He took a deep breath and forced a faintly surprised smile onto his face. He turned toward the speaker. He curtseyed deeply. “King Mingjue.”

Nie Mingjue, King of Qinghe, was an immense man of bear-like stature and handsome countenance which was usually marred by a conspicuous lack of compassion. He was leaning against a pillar, scowling even more than usual with his arms folded. He looked as if he had been waiting for Meng Yao there. Had Xichen told him where he could find him?

Mingjue scoffed. “What’s this? Pretending you’re not scared of me?”

Meng Yao chuckled and replied politely, “No one doubts your strength, or your ruthlessness, Your Highness. But is there any particular reason I have to fear you?”

The great man’s jaw visibly tightened. His already fierce eyes narrowed until his dark irises were barely visible. “Enough games. I know you poison your clients when you’ve had enough of them. Most of them are scum bags the world is better off without. What I want to know is what happened to my Captain of the Guard. I won’t let you out of my sight again until you spit it out.”

Despite having no more reasonable or real fear in this world other than the wrath of Nie Mingjue, Meng Yao controlled his fear with a single breath. He stood a little straighter. He lifted his chin with the newfound status he had which – in a way – almost made him equal with Nie Mingjue, in the eyes of Lan Xichen. 

He smiled warmly. “My. How brutish. And not very profitable, it seems to me. I must say, and I feel my knowledge on the subject is quite broad, I have never heard of a courtesan successfully murdering multiple clients before.”

A nearly audible growl emerged from Nie Mingjue. “You really mean to tell me you’ve never killed anyone?”

Meng Yao lifted a hand to his mouth to hide a chuckle and shook his head in exasperation. “Even if I had the desire, a body trained for pleasure is not very well suited to conflict,” he said, purposefully expressing his allure by demurely casting a lock of hair away from his neck with a languid touch. “And even if it were, I certainly have never wanted to murder anyone.”

“That’s not what I asked. I said ‘killed.’”

Meng Yao looked purposely confused. “Is there a difference?”

Mingjue sighed angrily, pushing off the wall he was standing on. He strode over to Meng Yao in no more than two long-limbed steps and suddenly grasped him by the neck. Meng Yao gasped and scrambled at his iron-like grip, but could not move it even as Mingjue began to lift his weight with a single hand. 

“I told you I wouldn’t let you go this time. Tell me what you did to him.”

Meng Yao had closed his eyes out of instinct, but now, as he wheezed in panicked breaths and his consciousness grew weak, he opened them to round a feral glare up at his former benefactor. The one who had first taught him the ways of men. How cruel, how painful being touched by another human being could be. How little most thought of whores. And how grateful one must be regardless, when one is pulled from the disease-infested dens of lower society and given the chance to be fucked in silk sheets rather than hemp. 

Mingjue scowled down at him as one looks at a bug. He didn’t even glance at Meng Yao’s hands, and yet he growled, “What? You think I won’t snap your neck before you can poison me?”

Meng Yao’s scrambling was partly to give him an opportunity to reach the bracelet on his left wrist and unhook it. A very small needle which connected the two halves of the bracelet was barely visible, but was only millimeters from piercing into Mingjue’s hand. 

Meng Yao took in several gasps of breath in order to wheeze back at him, “You’ll still die.”

“Mingjue-ge?”

Mingjue’s fingers loosened. Neither of these men could mistake the sound of Xichen’s voice. Meng Yao quickly turned away and situated his pibo to cover his neck. Neither he nor Mingjue looked at each other as Xichen approached. 

“Dage,” Xichen said warmly, bowing before Mingjue, who bowed more deeply in return. “I didn’t even know you were in Yunmeng. Did…” he suddenly glanced at Meng Yao, who was still turned half away from him. His expression grew quite concerned and he asked with soft confusion, “…did you have some business with A-Yao?”

Mingjue sighed. “I wish I didn’t. And you shouldn’t either. That’s the main reason I’m here. Xichen, don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumors.”

But Xichen merely closed his eyes in irritation, apparently not hearing this for the first time. “Dage, I never would have thought you to be one easily swayed by rumor.”

“In his case it’s true. He’s a spider, Xichen,” Mingjue growled with conviction. “He’s got no soul in him. Maybe he used to, back before his scum father scooped it out of him. But now he’s just a murderer and an opportunist. He’ll kill or discredit you too, if he sees profit in it.”

“Dage,” Xichen said with unusual sharpness. “I will hear no more of this. Meng Yao is my dear friend. In that you are both equal in my eyes. I will tolerate neither of you defaming the other in my presence.”

But this only roused Mingjue’s rage even higher. “Xichen, you are a soft-hearted fool,” he bellowed, sending several nearby servants scurrying to find the Second Master for help. “He’s poison. He’s rotten inside and he should be in a jail cell, not in your palace! I think he may have murdered my captain, and I will take him back to Qinghe for trial, just as soon as you get the stupid out of your head!”

Xichen remained outwardly calm but he was clearly upset by Mingjue’s words and a slight furrow formed between his brows. “You will do no such thing. I trust him, Dage.”

“Heh. Pathetic.”

Both men suddenly froze at the unexpectedly soft, cruel voice. 

Meng Yao sighed lightly and examined his wrist to make certain he had closed his bracelet properly. He fixed his pibo up high, not hiding Mingjue’s fingerprints, but for pride this time. He glanced up at Xichen as if in mild surprise, then smiled courteously.

“Oh there’s no need to look so upset. You saw the signs as well as anyone, didn’t you, Your Majesty? Quite a fun game it was, playing ‘first love’ with you. You were definitely above average as a playmate. By my standards, you should take pride in that.”

While Xichen stood dumbfounded, Mingjue’s eyes narrowed slightly. The latter folded his arms to watch this new development play out, while the former looked as if he had seen a ghost. 

“…A-Yao…?” said the emperor in restrained disbelief. 

Meng Yao smiled warmly back at him. “Really, you shouldn’t feel bad. I don’t think you were a coward for not taking advantage. It’s admirable. It’s good practice for the real thing.”

“…what are you saying?”

Meng Yao blinked at him. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m calling it quits. The game isn’t fun anymore. An old friend’s arrival reminded me I used to have a life with so much more freedom, so much more stimulation, and so much entertaining company. The bird in a gilded cage act was nice for a while, but…” He sighed regretfully. “Your Majesty, clearly there is something wrong with a man who has a meal set before him and doesn’t eat. And honestly I think prison would be more interesting than another round of staring at you while you stare into space.”

Xichen’s eyes slowly lowered. He seemed to be taking in Meng Yao’s words very slowly, and still after several moments of silence, appeared not to comprehend. 

“So…may I go?” Meng Yao prompted him with a soft smile. 

Xichen weakly shook his head. “…go…?” he repeated, looking away as if the answer were somewhere on the distant wall. 

Meng Yao sighed again. “To Qinghe, Your Majesty.”

“Why…?”

“To stand trial,” Mingjue answered for him. “I don’t know about the others, but I’ll see justice done for the sake of my captain.”

At that moment, Lan Wangji approached, followed closely by Wei Wuxian. “Hm? What’s the heavy atmosphere over here?” asked the former concubine, making a face at the three serious-looking men. 

But more silence only followed the light-hearted question. All three other men looked away, until Wangji faced Mingjue and asked with his typical terse clarity, “Why is my brother upset?”

At this, Mingjue appeared unusually uncertain. He seemed to have been taking Lan Xichen’s safety as paramount, and not really considering Xichen’s feelings in the process. He seemed confused by the idea that Xichen appeared to actually care about Meng Yao.

Meng Yao offered a somewhat difficult smile to the general and curtseyed deeply before saying apologetically, “I’m afraid it was my overly harsh words, Your Majesty. But rest assured, I will be leaving-”

“No,” Xichen said sharply. 

None in this hall had ever heard the emperor’s voice like this. He closed his eyes and took in and let out a deep breath. When he opened them, they turned to Nie Mingjue.

“Mingjue-ge,” he said calmly. “Do you have some item of your former captain with you today?”

He would know well that Mingjue would only insist so strongly if he had evidence. Mingjue reluctantly admitted, “…yes.”

“Wangji,” said the emperor. “Will you perform an Inquiry?”

The general nodded and did not hesitate to sit directly on the floor, producing his guqin from a qiankun bag and looking up at Nie Mingue with his fingers hovering over the strings. 

“W-…wait,” Meng Yao said with a small, forced laugh. “There’s no need to go through all this trouble. I’ll go.”

“Dage,” Xichen said, looking expectantly toward his friend. 

Mingjue still hesitated. “Xichen…assuming I’m right. You don’t want to hear this. If it’s true he’s your good friend, you don’t want to know what he is.”

“I believe Meng Yao,” Xichen said, without the slightest flicker of doubt. Meng Yao’s chest felt as if it would burst. He wanted to run away, but he knew that would only make things worse. There was no way out for him. “But I will accept the need for his full story to be told in order for you to believe it.”

“…you’ll learn nothing,” Meng Yao murmured numbly, still trying to persuade them not to do it. He shook his head weakly. “I confess. I killed him. There, it’s done. Don’t prolong my misery any further by making me stay where I don’t belong.”

Xichen’s expression intensified slightly at Meng Yao’s words, but he continued looking toward Mingjue for him to provide the item they could use for the Inquiry. 

“You’re still saying ‘killed’?” Mingjue muttered with a raised eyebrow. “Is it because you don’t know what murder is, or you really don’t acknowledge your own crime?”

Meng Yao tried to maintain his cold facial expression, but a tear of frustration slipped past his face. “Does it matter? I killed him, I’m a killer, no matter what I can’t stay here.”

He should have known that his very insistence on the matter would provoke Nie Mingjue’s suspicion. The bear-like man scowled and reached into a qiankun pouch, from which he produced his former captain’s sword. 

Meng Yao now actually did turn to run but he found Mingjue’s iron grip on his arm, nearly wrenching it from its socket, and all he could do was limply hang in his grasp. 

“Mingjue-ge,” Xichen’s voice still had an unusually hard edge to it. “Do not be rough with him.” 

Lan Wangji played a few simple questions with his guqin. One after another, the lively spirit answered in a flurry of notes. This had only gone one for a few seconds before both Lan brothers turned away, looking both embarrassed and disgusted.

“Well?” Mingjue demanded of the two brothers. “What does he say?”

Wangji looked distinctly displeased and reluctant to speak. All he did eventually say was, “It is obscene.”

Xichen nodded. “I’m sorry, Dage,” he said, “I hope this captain was deceiving you in some way, because even as a spirit he seems unusually resentful. He seems to have become enraged, when A-Yao fought back…” The serene emperor’s jaw tightened and unforgiving clouds darkened his face. “…after he started hitting him.”

Mingjue’s face slowly grew pale, although his expression barely changed. His grip on Meng Yao’s arm loosened, possibly unconsciously. Meng Yao glared up at him and whispered, “Someone has a lot of nerve acting shocked.”

To his surprise, Mingjue’s lips parted. He looked down at Meng Yao in what seemed to be genuine confusion. Finally his grasp fell away completely and he looked at the ground with a troubled frown. What was that about? Meng Yao wondered. He couldn’t possibly have forgotten the way he had failed to properly get Meng Yao’s consent before becoming his first man, fucking him until his body nearly broke, even as he cried. Of course, it was thanks to that valuable experience that Meng Yao learned many things that would help him survive afterward, but it was still hard to be thankful. 

Meng Yao straightened his clothes to preserve whatever remained of his dignity, but his heart felt as if it were slowly cracking apart as he maintained little hope that Xichen would ever view him without revulsion. “As I said. You learned nothing that I hadn’t just told you. I’m still a murderer, and I can’t stay here.”

“A-Yao,” Xichen said sadly. “What you did was in self-defense. That is not murder.”

“Arguable,” Meng Yao replied, attempting at least to appear calm. “He didn’t want to kill me, at least not at first. Just hurt me. That’s not a capital crime.”

“Mm, no I’d definitely kill someone who got their kicks out of hitting me,” Wei Wuxian contributed, amused on the surface but with a rumble of anger detectable in his eyes.

“King Mingjue. Are you satisfied?” Wangji asked, hands still hovering over his guqin strings. 

Mingjue didn’t seem to know how to respond at first. Eventually, he gave a tight nod. With a small glance in Meng Yao’s direction, he turned and left the way he had come without another word. And so went Meng Yao’s last chance of saving Lan Xichen from himself.

Wangji put away his guqin and got to his feet, facing his brother. “Will you be all right, Your Majesty?”

Xichen didn’t respond at first, causing Meng Yao’s stomach to twist in fear of what his response would be. Instead of answering Wangji, he said softly, as if coaxing, “A-Yao?”

Meng Yao closed his eyes. He couldn’t bear to look at him. 

“…A-Yao?”

He took in a breath and managed a polite smile, though as he blinked, another tear rolled down his cheek. “Yes?”

Xichen looked heartbroken. Softly he asked, “Will you come to my room to talk a little more? If right now is impossible, I will wait.”

Lan Xichen’s whole existence was sweet torture. How was he still so kind, even when he must be disgusted? Not only to be reminded of how many men Meng Yao had had before him, but now to learn that he was a killer, there was no way the great Lan Xichen would not be repulsed by such a corrupt and lowly creature.

He sniffed slightly as he was now unable to stop his crying, but he forced himself to smile and nod. After all, there was no way out anymore. What he most feared had come to pass, and now he would have to face the music. 

Back in Xichen’s chamber, the emperor closed the doors behind them and let out a long, slow breath. “A-Yao…you must be exhausted. Will you sit?”

His concern only sharpened Meng Yao’s self-hatred. But he obediently took a seat on the divan as Xichen had indicated. 

“Does your arm hurt?”

Meng Yao shook his head. It was a lie, but he couldn’t bear to be the cause of Xichen feeling sympathy. 

Xichen took in and out another long breath. “A-Yao. The truth is…there are many things I wish to ask you. Many things I wish to know, but…having now heard the words I feared all along, I cannot forget them. Was it true? When you said you couldn’t bear this life of a bird in a gilded cage any longer?”

Meng Yao chuckled in sardonic self-hatred as he realized he had already completely forgotten saying those things in the moment of Xichen discovering his crime. Now none of it mattered. It would only hurt Xichen. He had to take it back, and accept the full consequences now. 

“No,” he said with an inappropriate smile.

To his shock, Xichen looked immensely relieved and even steadied himself against the door. He closed his eyes and let out a harsh breath. But then he opened them again with confusion. “Why did you say it?”

Meng Yao shook his head in exasperation. “To hurt you. I thought it would hurt less if you saw my true nature as deceitful and shallow, rather than a…a…” He laughed at himself at his own inability to even say the word. He wiped away several more tears that fell unbidden. “A whore without conscience. It’s true, isn’t it? Don’t you feel the filth lingering on your hands just from having touched me? Thank goodness we never did anything more-”

“Please stop,” Xichen said softly, and Meng Yao was forced to do so as soon as Xichen knelt down on the floor at his feet. “My love, please be kinder to yourself. When I hear such words about the one most precious to me, it hurts so badly I fear I may lose myself.”

Finally, Meng Yao’s smile faded and he sobbed openly. Once he began, he realized all the years of holding back the urge to cry were coming out at once and soon he was wailing uncontrollably, shaking and grasping his own body in desperation. This had only gone on for a moment before he realized Xichen had rested his head on Meng Yao’s leg, his great and comforting arms wrapped around his waist and back. Even though he had lost control of his emotions at this point, it was very hard to keep crying with someone else seeming to need comforting. 

“Cry,” Xichen said softly. “Until you’re tired. I won’t leave.”

“I’m just using you,” Meng Yao mumbled, though unconvincing as he was still crying. “I won’t ever return your feelings.”

“I know.”

Meng Yao sucked in a sudden breath at these soft words that came without even a gap of thought. He had thought them before. As he realized this, Meng Yao was crying so hard he could barely see. He didn’t know. He didn’t know it was possible for anyone to love a whore, much less a killer. But somehow the perfect and beautiful Lan Xichen not only cared so deeply for him, not only understood him and accepted him, but didn’t expect anything in return. Meng Yao felt the last of his jaded psyche falling away as he slipped to the floor beside Xichen and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Xichen didn’t even question this, but only held him closer. 

“I’m sorry,” Meng Yao sobbed helplessly. “Please don’t believe it. I just don’t know how to say it.”

Xichen took in a sharp breath. “To say what?” he asked softly.

Meng Yao whimpered, nuzzling Xichen’s neck. “…you are such a fool. Who wouldn’t love you?”

Xichen seemed frozen stiff for several long seconds as Meng Yao trembled and cried against him. His breath came raggedly. Finally, he asked in disbelief, “Is it all right to believe this?”

Meng Yao could only sob for a moment. With his guilt overwhelming him, he could only plead, “You shouldn’t love me. Just let me be near you. I can’t stop…every inch of me aches to be apart from you…”

“…A-Yao!” 

Xichen suddenly grasped him tightly and buried his face in Meng Yao’s hair. He was trembling. Meng Yao was sure he also heard several soft sniffles. But it was hard to tell over his own crying. The two held each other for minutes on end, without either growing tired.

“Xichen,” Meng Yao whispered against his shoulder, fearing his voice would break if he spoke any louder. “Was it…is what you feel for me…not sexual? Is that why you didn’t sleep with me?”

Xichen let out a shocked breath, his fingers grasping Meng Yao’s hair tightly in frustration. “What I feel for you…as far as I know, is everything a man can feel. But I feared that you had encountered too much pain in your life, and that kind of intimacy couldn’t be enjoyable for you anymore.”

Meng Yao shook his head. “You may think me shameless. But I don’t feel loved without being touched.”

Xichen had to take a few moments to steady his breathing. He squeezed Meng Yao tighter, and his voice was strained when he spoke again. “In that case, I have been neglecting you very badly. And…I am sorry to ask, but could you instruct an inferior student?”

Meng Yao couldn’t help but laugh from sheer joy. He deeply kissed Xichen’s cheek, lingeringly as if to thank him for existing. Still crying slightly, he faced him and said, “Then, first…could you kiss me properly?”

Xichen’s eyes seemed to melt while watching Meng Yao with fascination and adoration. Meng Yao was amazed that he hadn’t noticed the way he looked at him before, as he now seemed quite obvious about his feelings. The emperor tilted Meng Yao’s chin up with a feather-light touch, and kissed him equally softly. 

Meng Yao instinctively backed away from the intense feelings that rushed over him, even from such a light touch. He gasped as soon as their lips parted, feeling his heart hammering in his throat. But then Xichen’s hand cradled the back of his head and he sank into a deep and searching kiss. 

Meng Yao was struggling to maintain control of his body and thoughts. The way Xichen kissed was equally gentle and insistent, and tended to draw away just as Meng Yao was growing weak with pleasure. The result was that each time his lips found him again, Meng Yao was driven to greater and greater desire.

He felt ashamed to realize he had never known kissing could be enjoyable all on its own. He used to consider it just a ritual to simulate closeness, and something his client would pay extra for. But Xichen’s gentle touches were stimulating parts of his mind that had only before been reached at the pinnacle of sexual pleasure. He was already feeling faint and gasping for each breath.

“Xichen…” he whispered desperately against his lips. “Please…the bed…”

Xichen kissed his cheek and squeezed him covetously once before gathering up and carrying him to the bed. Once there, he stroked Meng Yao’s hair affectionately. His fingers happened to tug slightly on the scarf draped across Meng Yao’s neck, and pulled it down enough to reveal the marks left by Nie Mingjue. Xichen froze. 

Meng Yao noticed his expression and gasped with dread. Would he be repulsed by the marks? Or jealous that he had been touched by another man? As it turned out, it was neither.

Seeming to find difficulty regulating his breathing, Xichen said in an unfamiliar voice, “Mingjue did this?”

Meng Yao swallowed, pulling up his pibo again. “Just let me keep my scarf, you’ll forget about how ugly it looks.”

Xichen’s eyes fluttered and grew red and moist. “I wasn’t thinking about how it looked. I was thinking about how to avoid killing my closest friend the next time I see him.”

Meng Yao quickly decided that, unless Mingjue’s existence ever became truly inconvenient, he should not ever let Xichen know the truth of how they had met. He raised up his much smaller hands and caressed the face of the man he loved. 

“All right. But can you think about that later?”

Xichen closed his eyes in frustration at himself, but soon nodded. He kissed Meng Yao again, and again, reassuring him that nothing would make him desire him any less. Meng Yao discovered with a thrill and a painful ache in his cock that Xichen sometimes moaned softly while he kissed. Even a small detail like that made Meng Yao so hungry for him he could barely stand it. 

“Xichen,” he murmured between kisses. “We need…mmnh…oil or lotion…”

Xichen let out a small, shuddering breath as he realized what it was needed for. He thought for a moment. “I use camellia oil for my hair. Will that do?” 

Meng Yao smiled softly to discover that Xichen’s beautiful hair was, like everything else about him, the result of diligence and care. He nodded. Xichen bent down to a nearby cabinet and produced a vial with sweet-smelling oil. 

After they had both undressed, Meng Yao carefully instructed Xichen on how to prepare him, all the while each of their desire for each other building more and more. Xichen’s fingers inside him had the doubly devastating effect of stimulating Meng Yao and tantalizing Xichen with the moans and delightful shudders that their movements evoked. 

Meng Yao finally couldn’t take any more and pushed back lightly on Xichen’s wrist. “Enough…please…”

Xichen gazed down at him with a gaze suffused in desire. “What next?” he asked, the significance heavy in his voice.

“Next…” Meng Yao whispered, unable to hide the desire from his voice. He reached up and teasingly caressed Xichen’s achingly hard cock with the back of his fingers. Xichen let out a soft moan, his arms nearly buckling as he knelt over Meng Yao. “…this.”

Xichen shivered softly, closing his eyes to keep calm. When he opened them again, he looked longingly down at Meng Yao. He bent down over him, stroking his face. He teased kiss after kiss from him, even as he lined his hips up over his love’s, and Meng Yao instinctively widened his legs and wrapped them around Xichen’s waist. Feeling himself held by Meng Yao provoked another sweet moan from Xichen. But as it turned out, that was the last time Meng Yao felt he had the upper hand that day.

Honestly, Xichen’s cock had seemed big even before he got a good look at it. But as it started to press him open, Meng Yao quickly realized he had not prepared properly for one of this size. It took Meng Yao a few moments of shivering and adjusting to the slight pain of being stretched even from having just the tip in. But he didn’t tense as he might normally have; every part of him was tingling, waiting to be claimed by Lan Xichen. He twitched softly around him as he got used to the sensation, unconsciously encouraging him deeper.

When he felt Xichen’s cock reached what he felt was the average point that most of his clients could, he gave a soft sigh of relief that he had taken him all the way. A little prematurely. It kept going. And still further, passing even the deepest point he could remember even the brutal and massive Nie Mingjue reaching. Meng Yao’s breath left him as he felt as if all his insides were being pushed aside and skewed by hot iron. At last, Xichen’s hips met his. Meng Yao’s eyes rolled back. He had to fight to stay conscious.

He didn’t even realize he was making shameless noises for the last couple of inches, and now, despite the uncomfortable feeling of having his insides pressed apart, his hole stretched and heat burning through him, he couldn’t move for fear that he would cum immediately. Worse, he couldn’t stop shaking and clamping down on Xichen. 

Xichen’s breath was trembling. “A-…A-Yao…” he managed weakly. “I’m…afraid…this feeling…is this normal?” He let out a shuddering sigh. “You’re so tight, gripping down on me…it’s so warm…A-Yao…ah…A-Yao…!”

It sounded like he was struggling too, but with merely these few innocently erotic words from his beloved, Meng Yao lost control. He let out a loud cry, digging his fingers into Xichen’s back and squeezing down on him both with his legs and his hole. He kept twitching for many long seconds after he had cum all over his own and Xichen’s chests. 

Both men let out desperate cries at the feelings that continued to rush through both of them. Meng Yao couldn’t speak, but somehow his orgasm hadn’t stopped. It was starting to frighten him, but a part of him wanted even more. As he continued helplessly whimpering through his continued agony at the peak of pleasure, Xichen too seemed to be at his limit. 

He gasped over and over, even though he had barely moved inside him yet. “A-Yao…!” he cried softly. “Ah…I can’t…ngh!”

The hot flesh piercing through him throbbed, further stimulating Meng Yao’s flailing body and drawing out his agony. And then heat burst inside him. Meng Yao couldn’t breathe. His body locked and then jolted repeatedly against his will. He babbled nonsensically. The heat coursing through him was so deep, he briefly feared it would fill his lungs. Yet even that thought excited him. It felt like the entire inside of his head only had room for Xichen’s cock. With thoughts like this compounding over and over, and his inability to calm down and breathe properly, Meng Yao’s and Lan Xichen’s first time together ended rather anti-climactically with him passing out from cumming too hard, after Xichen had only just put it in. 

When he gasped awake a few minutes later, he buried his face in the sheets to hide his shame and apologized multiple times. Xichen was more than understanding. In fact he seemed rather flattered. Meng Yao tried not to hate him just a little bit for how blessed he was in everything. He was determined that the next time they did this, he would be the one to rock Lan Xichen’s world. And a small, but very small, part of him began to believe, just a little, that perhaps Lan Xichen’s love for him might be real too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending   
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	14. Bardo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue are trapped in a bardo state together, unable to re-enter the karmic cycle. One day, Jin Guangyao is given the chance to reincarnate into a modern descendant, and Nie Mingjue is able to follow him. There they meet the reincarnation of Jin Guangyao's long one-sided love, Lan Xichen. But, as he seems taken, Jin Guangyao must look for comfort elsewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Some suspension of disbelief is necessary, given that that all the characters’ names are the same in their modern incarnations. For the sake of your brain, and mine, I have left all their names so as to avoid confusion. :)

The world below seemed so peaceful from up high. Everything as it was meant to be, and nothing seemed especially important. What before had seemed a quagmire of torment, loss and cruelty, now seemed no more turbulent than a lotus pond in summer. 

“How small we all seem,” said Jin Guangyao absently as he curled up on the edge of the pond, as he almost always was. 

His companion as ever glared at him, uncertain what he wanted. Since giving his best efforts to drag the soul of Jin Guangyao into hell with him, Nie Mingjue had sunk his teeth into his soul and refused to part from him until he was sure his threat was abated. But in truth, neither of them was certain how they had gotten here. 

To all appearances, they had entered nirvana. Everywhere they looked, it was peaceful and beautiful. A mix of clouds and misty vegetation. Every water source doubled as a mirror into which they could look to observe the mortal world. But neither considered the possibility that this was actually nirvana. There was little point: there were hardly two more corrupt, vengeful or tormented souls than Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao. Such souls could never hope to enter the land of eternal peace.

“…why do you look down there every day?” Mingjue demanded. 

“Is there something else amusing to do here?” Guangyao answered back without looking up. 

Mingjue sighed irritably. 

Of course they had both been here long enough to know there was nothing else to do. It was, on the one hand, rather strange that neither felt boredom particularly, but neither did they experience spiritual peace or a release from suffering. This realm, whatever it was, might well be joyful for someone who had found enlightenment, but for these two it was only an odd limbo. 

“We can’t go back,” Mingjue growled. “Even if we could, a thousand years have passed since we came here. The world won’t be the same, everyone we know will have long since turned to dust.”

Jin Guangyao’s delicate lips parted. Though he still wouldn’t even spare Mingjue a glance, he commented softly, “Do you suppose Er-ge has found enlightenment yet?”

Mingjue sighed again. “Of course. And it’s precisely attachments like that that keep you from doing it too.”

“Oh? And what is your attachment, Da-ge?”

Mingjue’s jaw tightened as he glared down at his own murderer, sitting peacefully by the lotus pond and watching the world turn below as if he hadn’t a care in the world. “What do you think?” he snarled.

Guangyao blinked in some restrained emotion at this, but still wouldn’t look up at him. He eventually shook his head with a sigh. “Da-ge. You’re only hurting yourself needlessly. I assure you, if reform were possible in my case, it wouldn’t have taken this long.” After a moment of thought, he asked, “What if a chance for rebirth comes for one of us but not the other? What would you do then?”

Mingjue rolled his eyes, certain Guangyao knew the answer before he asked the question. “If it were me, I would refuse. If you, I’d follow you to make sure you can’t cause any trouble wherever you go.”

“…you think I’d seek to overturn the world of ants? Or sea turtles?” Guangyao asked sardonically, finally glancing up at him.

“Wouldn’t you?”

Many things seemed to pass through Guangyao’s pretty, dark eyes as he looked up at his former benefactor, his sworn brother, his victim and his murderer. But Mingjue was not astute enough to read those complex emotions, even if Guangyao hadn’t been an expert at hiding them. Eventually he turned back to the pond. 

“If you could choose, what would your next rebirth be, Da-ge?”

Mingjue sighed, not even wanting to think about it. He had decided some time ago that they were in fact in some version of the hungry ghost realm. Even though they didn’t feel hungry or in pain, clearly they were lost somehow with no way of escape.

“I wouldn’t. The point of rebirth is to reach nirvana. Not to shop for bodies to satisfy your hedonism and delay the process even longer.”

Guangyao thought to himself, ignoring this answer completely. Eventually he said, “I think…I would like to be a carp. I always used to envy them whenever I saw a group of them, swimming so beautifully and confidently in a pond. Or…what was it you used to call me? Jackal. Yes, I think I would enjoy that too. A short life with simplistic needs, and plenty of drama.”

Mingjue scoffed. “You’re so convinced it will be the animal realm? Maybe the only reason you’re not in hell right now working out your karmic balance is that I’m attached to you like this. Did you think of that?”

Guangyao again seemed to be pretending not to hear him, and merely reached down to swirl his hand in the misty non-water which made a barrier between this world and the one below. “If Er-ge is still a part of the karmic cycle…I’d like to see him.”

“Well good luck. Even if-“

At that, shock forced Mingjue into silence. Guangyao’s hand as it dipped into the mist had begun to glow. The glow spread up his arm and was soon pulsating down his whole body. Mingjue gasped as he realized what was happening, snarled and then grasped Guangyao’s slender shoulder with all his strength. The next thing he knew, light filled his vision. He had a sensation of falling, through light and time and whole universes of space. He almost forgot who he was, but he refused to let go of the soul he had clutched in his. 

WHAM!

Mingjue gasped, instantly choking as he felt something stuck inside his throat. He scrambled at the odd, soft materials surrounding his face and tore them off in any way he could, eventually managing to pull some kind of tube from his throat. 

As he was coughing to recover his breath, he looked around. Light stung his eyes. The room he was in was extremely white, with smooth walls and floors, and many unfamiliar materials and objects. There was a window to his right, which seemed to be letting in light but not air through translucent glass. And in a bed beside him, similar to the one he was lying in, Jin Guangyao was looking up at the ceiling in amazement. 

The smaller man raised a hand to his face, gazing at it in wonder. He turned it over, observing every vein and tendon with fascination. He slowly closed his fist and whispered, “I did it…I’m back.”

“Da-ge! A-Yao!”

At that moment, both men looked up in shock to hear a familiar, soft, husky voice. Though wearing strange clothes and having much shorter hair than either remembered, there was no mistaking that beautiful and worried face. Lan Xichen had just come in the door of their overly white room and was standing looking in anxious relief at both of them.

He quickly came inside, coming to kneel between both of their beds and grasp both their hands. “You’re all right. We’ve all been so worried. They said your car was barely recognizable, and you’ve both been unconscious for several days. Do you remember anything that happened?”

Jin Guangyao was looking at Lan Xichen like he had seen an angel. His face slowly softened, his eyes not even leaving him to blink. With difficulty, as he was clearly injured now that Mingjue looked closely, he raised his other hand and clasped Xichen’s as well. 

“None of that matters,” he said in his dulcet tenor, which soothed even the most fractious of hearts. “We were gone for a while, but we’re back now. Everything will be all right.”

Xichen smiled warmly at him, though he still looked concerned. He breathed out a hard sigh. “To think such a horrible thing could happen on your honeymoon.”

Mingjue and Guangyao both froze, suddenly overly conscious of the fact that they were connected through Xichen’s hands. Mingjue quickly removed his from Xichen’s and pushed himself up to a seated position. 

“On our what?!” he hissed.

Guangyao also gave a confused smile. “Er-ge…you mean just one of us, don’t you?”

Xichen tilted his head. “I don’t understand…”

“I mean…when you say ‘our’ honeymoon, you’re referring to…?”

“…yours and Da-ge’s.” Xichen’s eyes widened softly. “You don’t remember? A-Yao…you don’t even remember getting married?”

As Mingjue was shaking his head resolutely in rage, Guangyao brought a hand up to his eyes to cover his shock and anger as he chuckled softly. “Er-ge…you must be joking. Me? And Da-ge? We’d murder each other.”

“I’m not a cut-sleeve!” Mingjue roared.

Xichen sighed heavily, holding his head. “Da-ge…it took so long to get you to stop hating yourself. Don’t undo all the great work you’ve done. There’s nothing wrong with liking men, I’m gay too.”

Mingjue blinked in shock, while Guangyao inhaled sharply. “Er-ge…so you-“

“…and quite happily in love,” Xichen added with a warm smile.

At this, the two reincarnated souls both struggled to maintain their connection to their bodies as they nearly fainted from shock. Guangyao looked as if his soul had drained away. His hold on Xichen’s hand loosened unconsciously. Mingjue had to struggle to keep from overreacting to his friend’s confession, which he had long suspected to be true but couldn’t believe he would admit out loud, and in front of the murdering psychopath who was clearly obsessed with him. 

“Xichen,” Mingjue said, trying to control his temper, for the sake of Xichen and whoever his partner was. “Don’t tell us who it is.”

Xichen let out a surprised laugh. “Have you forgotten that too? I can’t exactly hide it, even if I wanted to. He was coming right behind me a moment ago.”

Just then, “Lan Huan, they didn’t have any chrysanthemum tea, is barley all right?” said yet another familiar voice entering the room, but frankly not one that either of the two had been expecting. 

Guangyao actually made an odd noise, as if he were choking. “Jin…Zi…xuan?” he eventually choked out.

Mingjue, who had definitely been expected a different old friend of theirs to walk through the door, could not quite believe that Lan Xichen had been romantically involved with both these two impressive sons of Jin Guangshan. 

Jin Zixuan’s proud gaze turned down to his half-brother. His lips parted. “A-Yao…are you all right? How do you feel?”

Casually, as if he did this all the time, he stood nearby and placed a hand on Lan Xichen’s shoulder, who smiled gracefully toward him. 

“Hah,” Mingjue couldn’t help vocalizing his mild amusement at who, in this lifetime, Lan Xichen had chosen over Jin Guangyao. 

The glare he got from Guangyao for the brief noise he made was chilling.

“You both seem so much better, I’m very relieved. But I’m still worried about sending you home alone. You should come and stay with me and Wangji for a while,” Xichen said. 

“We’re fine,” Mingjue said, getting up out of his bed and discovering with a chill that his backside was bare. 

“Nonsense. Please, Nie-xiansheng, let Lan Huan and Lan Wangji take care of you both for a while,” said Jin Zixuan. 

“Yes…Da-ge,” said Jin Guangyao softly, as if he were still in the process of recovering from his shock. “I think we should stay with Er-ge.” He flicked a significant look in Mingjue’s direction. “You wouldn’t leave me there alone, would you?”

“…snake,” Mingjue growled under his breath. 

Xichen blinked at him in shock. “What did you say?”

“…nothing. I’ll go, just get me some proper clothes!”

…

Lan Xichen brought them home to a mansion in a residential district. Once Lan Xichen left the two to get settled in a room he prepared for them, both unconsciously let out a sigh. 

After a moment, Mingjue let out another cruel laugh. “Not you. And not even Jiang Wanyin. Of all the people in the world-“

“Stop.”

“-Lan Xichen picks your half-brother.”

Guangyao tilted his head curiously, even though the rage was burning through him. “What are you implying?”

“Hm? That he likes you, but taller and without the insanity. Congratulations.”

Guangyao had been sitting on the bed, but shot to his feet at this, unable to stand being disrespected by the man he now considered beneath him. “Or more likely, you put your paws on me first, and he would never dare touch his Da-ge’s property.”

“Heh,” Mingjue scoffed, looking half amused again. “He couldn’t be more scared to touch you than I am. How the hell can we have been married in this life?”

“Obviously these bodies had different souls up until now,” Guangyao said dismissively. “Still…they would likely have to be our descendants or near relatives, for us to be able to inhabit their bodies at all.”

“I really thought he would pick Jiang Wanyin. That boy so obviously pined for him, ever since he was a teenager. He’s not a bad one either,” Mingjue muttered casually. 

“Oh. And I am?”

“Look in a mirror, jackal.”

Guangyao smiled bitterly. “Da-ge, with the deepest respect, being with you is removing all the joy of reincarnation.” He sashayed toward the door and stood in the way when Mingjue started to follow him. “If you follow me around everywhere like a wraith, they will clearly start to suspect you don’t trust me. What a sad married couple. Relax. I’m just going for a walk.”

Mingjue scowled deeply. “You’re going to snoop.”

Guangyao shrugged. “If I learn anything that will be useful to us both in assuming the lives of our poor benefactors, I promise to share it. Stay in here and rest in the meantime, Da-ge, and I’ll bring you something to eat when I come back.”

Mingjue seemed entirely displeased by the idea, but Guangyao had noticed him eyeing the bed as soon as they came in. His large body obviously needed more rest. He gave a subvocal growl and turned to flop down onto it, almost instantly falling asleep. Guangyao narrowed his eyes at the existence of someone who could fall asleep at a moment’s notice like that, and closed the door quietly behind him. 

He roamed about the mansion at his leisure, from practice automatically hiding his presence wherever he went. He happened to be about to descend a staircase to the first floor when he heard soft voices at the doorway and paused to listen. 

“Are you sure you can’t make time tomorrow? I…don’t mean to trouble you, it’s just-“

“I know, it’s been a long time since we…” 

The one who trailed off and coughed awkwardly was Jin Zixuan. The one who seemed to be attempting to persuade him to meet was Lan Xichen. Guangyao’s hand tightened on the stair rail. 

“It’s…not that I don’t want to. I’ve been tired lately, and…somehow it’s hard to want to move around a lot more.”

Lan Xichen paused for a moment, but his back was to Guangyao and he couldn’t see his expression. He nodded slightly. “Of course. Health is most important. I’m sorry for being this way…”

“Not at all, Lan Huan. I’m the one who’s sorry. I…” Jin Zixuan seemed to want to say more, but couldn’t voice it. Eventually he squeezed Xichen’s shoulder and said on his way out, “I’ll call you in a couple of days, when things settle down.”

Xichen nodded again. “Take care.”

Guangyao had to take a moment of breath to control his rage. Not only had Xichen chosen Jin Zixuan of all people, but it seemed Jin Zixuan wasn’t even appreciative of him. If Guangyao didn’t know any better, he could swear Zixuan was working his way toward breaking things off. But what kind of universe would make Jin Zixuan more desirable than Lan Xichen?!

“Er-ge…” he murmured softly to alert Xichen to his presence. 

Xichen took in a sharp breath and turned to see him at the top of the stairs. He flushed softly and looked down. “You saw that…?”

Guangyao nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overhear.”

Xichen at first shook his head with a courteous smile, but the expression soon faded. Things must have been hard for some time, because when Guangyao offered to talk, Xichen agreed. 

As they sat down in the nearby living room, Guangyao having prepared them each a cup of tea, Xichen admitted softly, “I suppose it’s karma for lying earlier. I was happy until recently. But the truth is…things have been getting worse with Zixuan for some time. I didn’t want to burden you with this kind of talk while you were still in recovery.”

“Don’t even think of that, Er-ge,” Guangyao comforted him, placing a hand on his knee. “I’m always here, any time you need to unburden yourself. Please continue.”

Xichen graced him with a grateful smile. “I’m so glad you’re still with us, A-Yao.” Guangyao’s heart fluttered. He couldn’t help it. He’d now longed for this man for over a thousand years. “The truth is…lately I think Zixuan’s gaze may be focused elsewhere.”

Rage lapped at Jin Guangyao’s consciousness like a warm fire as he pictured various ways to make Jin Zixuan suffer. “Are you sure?”

Xichen shook his head. “I don’t even have an idea who it would be. It’s just a feeling. To be honest, our relationship has always felt forced on some level. After all, Zixuan is bisexual, so he has always had more options.”

Jin Guangyao had to exercise physical force on the muscles of his jaw not to visibly tighten as he held back the urge to scream that Xichen was not merely an ‘option’ and Zixuan was lucky even to be given a glance by him. 

“I see,” he said calmly instead. “But, Er-ge…the same is true of you, is it not? Is there really no one else for you but Jin Zixuan?”

The way that Lan Xichen hesitated to answer this question, with a trace of guilt in his beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, made Guangyao’s heart race. “It is…not very fair to Zixuan to talk of such things,” he said softly, but not very convincingly.

Guangyao swallowed unconsciously. “It will never leave this room, Er-ge. Please be honest with me, as you have always been. Is there no one else who moves your heart?”

Lan Xichen’s lips parted. His eyelashes fluttered over his high, alabaster cheeks, glancing toward the floor before him with uncertainty. Finally, he closed his eyes in shame. “Oh, A-Yao. I would not be so tortured if there were not.”

Guangyao’s breath caught. He could not stop the hope from rising in his chest. “Then, what issue is there? If both of you desire another, is there any reason you should not both be happy?”

“I fear…it is not so simple. This person…he has suffered much in life and trusts very few,” Xichen said gently. “Even if I were lucky enough to gain his attention, if things went wrong, he might never trust anyone again.”

Guangyao shook his head with a sigh, making sure Xichen could see his sympathetic and affectionate gaze. “To give up on love because of fear is not to live. I know you love and value every moment of life as precious. Would you give up so easily, Er-ge?”

Xichen gazed deeply into Guangyao’s eyes, clearly moved. He slowly managed a hesitant smile. “A-Yao…you always say just the right thing.”

Guangyao squeezed his knee, smiling longingly at him. His heartbeat rose again at how close they were, thinking Xichen might take the initiative and satisfy his centuries of desire. Guangyao feared he might faint if Xichen so much as touched his cheek, but he was desperate to know the touch of his lips. So much so that he was looking there instead of at his eyes. Unfortunate, as if he had, they would have told him that Xichen’s mind was already elsewhere. 

“You’re right…I won’t know unless I try. I'm sure I will regret it if I don't know for sure. Excuse me for a moment, A-Yao. I have to make a call,” he said, and after patting Guangyao’s knee in return, he got up and headed into the next room.

Though at first he merely tried to hide his disappointment, Guangyao felt another flutter of hope that perhaps Xichen would send a message to Jin Zixuan that things were over between them. He couldn’t help soundlessly getting up from the couch to stand at the doorway to make sure of who Xichen was contacting. 

Into a small block of what looked like light metal, Xichen spoke softly, “Ah…Wanyin? I’m sorry to ask so suddenly, but is there any chance you could meet today?”

Guangyao’s hopes instantly shattered. He leaned against the wall for a moment to steady himself as his knees felt weak, but he couldn’t bear to hear any more. He quickly pushed off the wall and went back up the stairs. 

He stood outside the room where Nie Mingjue should still be sleeping, about to open the door and give up once again on his agonizingly long, one-sided desire. At the last moment, he dropped his hand from the handle and turned to walk further down the hall, toward the room that smelled most strongly of Lan Xichen. He didn’t even know what he wanted, he just didn’t want to let go so soon after finally being able to see him again.

He pushed open the door of the place he perceived to be Xichen’s bedroom. In an unusual moment of carelessness, he didn’t even close the door behind him. He took a few steps inside, carefully letting his hand hover a few inches over the various shelves, books, small items of comfort and finally stood before the bed in the center of the room. 

At that moment, an unwelcome voice drew him from his reverie. “Are you stupid?” the door closed after the speaker. 

Guangyao didn’t bother looking up at Nie Mingjue, who had clearly followed him here to make sure he wasn’t making mischief. “Clearly,” Guangyao answered dully. “A smart person would have given up a long time ago.”

“I meant sneaking into someone’s bedroom.” Mingjue glanced behind him, seeming concerned that someone might approach. “Wait…did you tell him your feelings? That was fast. You couldn’t do it after knowing him sixteen years before.”

“Quite right. The thousand-and-seventeenth year seemed like a lucky one,” Guangyao quipped, but with utterly no joy. “But in fact I didn’t have to. You, I, and everyone else with eyes was right after all. It was never me. It was never Jin Zixuan. It was-“

“Shh!” Mingjue said, putting his ear to the door. “Someone’s coming. Come here, idiot!”

Mingjue pulled him by the arm into a nearby walk-in closet and closed it behind them. It was surprisingly spacious inside, although dark. But still, this was yet another humiliation for Jin Guangyao, and it was about to get worse as the owner of the room entered. And not alone.

“Please take a seat anywhere you’d like,” came Xichen’s soothing voice.

The other person eventually walked in and took a seat on the bed, which Guangyao found quite presumptuous, waiting for Xichen to speak. 

Xichen took a deep breath and then began hesitantly, “Wanyin…I…”

On hearing this, Nie Mingjue scoffed and jabbed Jin Guangyao with his heavy elbow. Guangyao hardly needed another reason to resent Mingjue, but he would certainly add this to the tally.

“I suppose I should be direct. I called you here today to ask you…” Xichen murmured softly. “…if there were anyone whose presence loomed especially large in your heart.”

Jiang Wanyin didn’t answer immediately. When he did, his voice was surprisingly calm. “You want to ask if I’m in love,” he guessed, a trace of bitterness in his voice. “What for?”

“…depending on your answer, I may have to refrain from telling you exactly why I am asking. If the answer is yes, then there is no reason to continue the conversation.”

“…yes.”

Guangyao closed his eyes, knowing exactly the heartbreak Lan Xichen must be feeling right now. Worse, because he was certain the one Jiang Wanyin loved was none other than Lan Xichen, but neither of these idiots would ever dream that the other one loved them. At this rate, they would only succeed in hurting each other. But then perhaps he might have another chance with Xichen? He listened cautiously to see how Xichen would react.

“Ah,” he said softly, after a significant pause. “I…must admit, I am surprised. You…never gave any sign…”

Jiang Wanyin scoffed bitterly. “There’s no need to spare my feelings, Zewu-jun. You’re surprised someone like me has the nerve to love anyone. Someone so unlovable himself.”

“What…? Of course not. I only meant that you never indicated anyone special…do you really think that about yourself, Wanyin?”

“Can I go?” Wanyin asked, getting up from the bed. “You’ve had your answer, even though you seem determined not to give a reason for asking.”

“…before you go, may I ask…have you ever told them how you feel?” Xichen murmured softly, perhaps even hopefully.

“Zewu-jun, are you trying to torment me?” Jiang Cheng demanded, finally sounding like his normal self. “I as much as said it already. Who would be happy to hear that from me?”

“Many people…”

“No one! How would you feel, Lan Xichen?!” Jiang Cheng demanded, nearly in tears. “Don’t lie! You would feel-”

“-overjoyed.”

Even from the closet, the other two men could hear Jiang Cheng’s shocked intake of breath. Jin Guangyao closed his eyes and let his head rest against the closet door. He didn’t want to hear any more.

“You…you…” Jiang Cheng stammered. 

Xichen gave a halfhearted chuckle. “But that doesn’t matter to you, does it? If there’s already someone in your heart, I could never…” His speech halted, and moments later there was a soft sniff. 

Guangyao’s fists tightened. That scumbag Jiang Wanyin. He had made the world’s most perfect being cry. Only Jin Guangyao should be permitted to do that. 

Moments later, there was a rustle of fabric, and a small gasp from Lan Xichen. “I don’t care if you’re with Jin Zixuan,” Jiang Cheng whispered. “If you would look my way…I’d never leave your side.”

Xichen let out a shaking gasp. Another rustle of fabric. He was returning Jiang Cheng’s embrace. “Wanyin…I’m happy, but…you’re bisexual too, aren’t you? I’m worried nothing would be any different. Just like Zixuan, you’d realize eventually that women are the better option.”

Jiang Cheng pushed him back to whisper harshly, “You’re not an ‘option.’ You are Lan Xichen. And I love you so much it feels like my heart is going to burst, so don’t you dare believe for one moment that I wouldn’t walk through fire for you!”

“…Wanyin…!”

From then on, the only sounds the two in the closet could here were gasps and the rustling of clothes. Then, eventually, the creaking of the bed. Jin Guangyao was shaking with bitter torment, most of all at the fact that Jiang Wanyin had said almost exactly what he had held back, and it had worked on Lan Xichen. Was that his only problem from the start? Restraining himself too much?

He was somewhat surprised when, though in their previous lives he had always thought Lan Xichen would be a top, it seemed he was the one being driven to desperate moaning by the surprisingly caring touch of Jiang Wanyin. Soon the room was full of Xichen’s moans, interspersed with Wanyin’s gasps as he moved on top of him. 

At one point he noticed Nie Mingjue huffing irritably, turning away. By now his eyes had adjusted to the dim light inside the closet and he glanced at the larger man’s body when it seemed his silhouette looked a little unusual. He shamelessly grasped the part that was sticking out from his waist. 

“Hey!” Mingjue hissed, pushing his hand away.

Guangyao looked up dubiously at him. “Really, Da-ge?” he asked him in a purposely silky and provocative voice, even though he was very much in a mood for revenge. “You astonish me. So which is it? The Lan or the Jiang?”

Mingjue sighed. “It’s…neither. Just the general atmosphere. I don’t know! Stop talking!”

“All right.”

Guangyao did indeed stop talking, but he walked further into the closet, before Mingjue’s eyes, and began to undress. As his porcelain shoulders became visible in the low light, Mingjue gasped. “Wh-…what are you thinking?!”

“That it’s been a thousand years. That’s quite a dry spell for me, I don’t know about you,” Guangyao commented as he flicked aside the last of his clothes. He spread his own shirt on the thickly carpeted floor and then lay down temptingly before Mingjue with one knee propped up and his own fingers in his mouth. After removing them and bringing them down to the apex of his legs, he said softly, “There’s something I’ve always wondered, Da-ge. If part of the reason you never let me out of your sight, and why you seemed to hate me so much…was simply because I stopped letting you fuck me. So?”

Mingjue closed his eyes and turned away, though they could both still hear the loud moans of Lan Xichen and both were clearly being affected by them. Eventually the gruff man muttered, “So that’s all it was, huh? You were just ‘letting’ me.”

Guangyao smiled, but he kept up his preparations, knowing Mingjue’s huge cock would easily tear him if he wasn’t careful. “Did I hit a nerve?”

“I have no nerves where you’re concerned,” Mingjue told him, but in spite of himself he soon knelt down over Guangyao. “I gave up expecting anything from you the first time you betrayed me, leaving me powerless on the battlefield while you ran off to be Wen Ruohan’s plaything.”

“Oh, what a memory,” Guangyao chuckled softly, purposefully rolling his body seductively as he teased and softened his entrance. “He really was a cruel lover, you know. You tended to get carried away, but he would hurt me on purpose.”

“What…?” Mingjue muttered.

“Oh I see. You thought I just spread my legs for anyone and all the world bowed down to me. No, Da-ge, much as it pains me to say, you’re actually one of the more caring lovers I’ve had.”

True to Guangyao’s expectations, these words seemed to have a powerful effect on Mingjue. His breathing heightened and his brows furrowed in torment, his eyes worriedly looking from one of Guangyao’s to the other. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered.

Guangyao sighed, feeling a slight flicker of guilt that, as before, he was only using such a good man again. He told himself he could never really love Nie Mingjue. Unlike Lan Xichen who was gullible and naïve, or Ruohan who was amoral and ruthless, Mingjue’s only flaw was being too hardheaded. Precisely because Jin Guangyao respected and admired everything else about him, he would never permit himself to love and feel rejected by him, knowing his mind would not be able to cope with that.

“I’m only telling you now so you’ll take pity on me and give me some comfort,” Guangyao told him in a sweet voice, and not entirely untruthfully. “Da-ge. I’ve missed the feel of you. Will you deny me again?”

Mingjue’s jaw tightened and he closed his eyes. But the next thing Guangyao knew, he was wrapped in bear-like arms and kissed until he could barely breathe. Being held by Nie Mingjue in a room that smelled like Lan Xichen, with Xichen’s gasping voice on the other side of the door, proved much more exciting than Guangyao could have predicted. In moments, it was a struggle not to moan himself. 

He was satisfied for the moment that he was soft enough he at least wouldn’t be seriously hurt, and while still indulging in kisses, he quickly undid Mingjue’s pants, taking him in his hand. At the last moment he grew a little nervous and pushed him back slightly. 

“Let me do it with my mouth first,” he said against his lips. 

“Ngh…” Mingjue grunted reluctantly in that tantalizingly stubborn and masculine way of his.

He sat back while Guangyao crawled over to his waist, placing his small hands on either of Mingjue’s muscular thighs. He pulled back his hair behind his ear, making sure Mingjue saw this tempting gesture, and slowly wrapped his mouth around as much of Mingjue’s length as he could fit inside. 

The feeling of a throbbing cock inside his mouth, and the sounds of Xichen gradually losing his composure on the other side of the door, awakened more desire that Guangyao ever remembered feeling before. He didn’t even realize he was drooling down Mingjue’s cock until the other man pushed him back to the floor with a grunt and racing breaths. 

Mingjue looked down admiringly at him for a moment. Then he spread Guangyao’s legs with his huge, confident hands. He had not forgotten how to please Guangyao, even after all this time. Nuzzling his face into the hollow of Guangyao’s neck, he slowly pressed his tip against his entrance and slid inch by inch inside.

Guangyao’s eyes fluttered, never remembering feeling so hot when Mingjue entered him before. It was a struggle not to let out moans with every breath. He wanted him so badly at this moment, he could feel tingling all around his entrance and couldn’t help twitching around him as he pushed in deeper. 

Suddenly, Xichen let out a sweet cry just as Mingjue managed to fit his whole length inside Guangyao. Guangyao gasped and dug his fingers into Mingjue’s back, fighting the urge to cum immediately. His whole body was filled with heat and trembling. 

“Xichen…you’re so beautiful,” came Wanyin’s soft voice from the other side of the door. “I came too but it won’t go down…can we keep going?”

“Yes…Wanyin…please! Don’t stop…ahhh!”

Mingjue and Guangyao both tensed at the desperate sound in Xichen’s voice, twitching against one another. Mingjue cupped Guangyao’s face in his hand and kissed his opposite cheek. “You are a fool. If you’d just see who really cares about you, you’d never have felt so lonely.”

Lonely? Guangyao wondered idly to himself. Did he seem lonely?

But at that moment, his other concerns were cast aside by the feeling of Mingjue’s cock sliding in and out of his stretched entrance. Guangyao gasped and clung to him, seeking an escape from the pleasure that vaulted through his mind. This body was clearly used to taking Mingjue’s cock, he could tell immediately. And even more so, that delightful spot inside him seemed to be much more sensitive than he ever remembered. Whether going out or coming in, Mingjue’s cock scraped against it and robbed Guangyao of his ability to think.

He soon could not stop the moans and had to bite down into Mingjue’s shirt collar to control his voice. Mingjue seemed moved by this and cradled his smaller body in both arms as he gradually increased the pace inside him. Soon, the shirt collar was not enough and Guangyao bit down into Mingjue’s neck. 

“Ngh,” Mingjue grunted. “Does it hurt?”

“No…!” Guangyao gasped, turning Mingjue’s face toward his own. “I can’t stop…I’m going to scream…Da-ge!”

Mingjue quickly understood what he meant and pressed him firmly to the ground with all-consuming kisses. Guangyao indeed could not stop his cries, which were fortunately muffled by Mingjue, as pleasure built higher and higher inside him. He was already bucking his hips erratically and twitching all over when Mingjue grunted softly against his lips and began to pump cum deep inside him. At the first burst, deeply in his belly, Guangyao let out a yelp against Mingjue’s lips and tightened down on him as a powerful orgasm slowly coursed its way through every inch of his body.

He was sure he was leaving marks in Mingjue’s skin as his fingers dug into his back, but neither man cared. Mingjue continued lightly thrusting inside him and sucking down on his lips through their nearly simultaneous orgasm. Guangyao’s whole body could not stop trembling throughout. But as the feeling slowly died down, his desperate grasp into Mingjue became a sweet one. 

Mingjue finally released his lips and let his head rest on the floor beside Guangyao’s as they both slowly recovered. Even though he was perhaps twice Guangyao’s weight, being pressed to the ground by him was somehow deeply comforting. Guangyao didn’t notice as his legs wrapped a little tighter around Mingjue’s waist. 

“They sound done too,” Mingjue grunted softly in his ear. He sighed. “We’ll only invite suspicion if we stay awake. Come on.” He shifted to place Guangyao on top of him, resting against his chest. “Sleep.”

Guangyao hesitantly touched his massive chest before his eyes. “You’re still inside me,” he murmured, with more desire in his voice than he intended.

“Ngh? Nh. Stop tightening down on me and maybe it’ll go down then.”

Guangyao chuckled softly but, although he felt the desire for sleep pulling at him, also wanted another round with Mingjue just as much. Even so, as his eyelids started to grow heavy, he wondered something. What had Mingjue meant by, ‘the ones who really care about you’? Well, no matter. He had a whole new incarnation of life to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	15. Dark Xichen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dark version of Lan Xichen, Lan Suichen, comes from a mirror universe and wreaks havoc on the fragile relationship between Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: the ‘sui’ in Lan Suichen is the 邃 in 深邃, as in “abstruse” or “hidden in depth.” His sword is Yueshi 月食, “lunar eclipse.”

A strange mass of black clothing and hair gasped in difficult breaths, after the wind had been knocked out of him by his significant fall. His formerly extravagant black and purple clothes quickly picked up visible dust from where he had fallen. His lustrous hair was cast all about in a disheveled mess, half concealing his face as he aimed a suspicious glance up at the one who seemed to share that same face.

Above him stood Lan Xichen, a vision in shimmering white, the only thing out of place an expression of noticeable shock on his face, which seemed so similar to the one coughing beneath him. Behind him stood his disciples and Jiang Wanyin, who had been out night hunting with them when the strange man bearing Xichen’s face had appeared from the middle of swirling energy in the middle of a cliffside, and fallen roughly thirty feet to the ground beneath them.

“You’re…me?” he wheezed, toward Lan Xichen. 

Xichen instinctively shook his head, though still slightly in shock. “I…admit the resemblance is striking. But it is not possible. Forgive me,” he said, clasping his sword between his hands and gracing the stranger with a bow as he struggled to his feet. “Gusu Lan Sect. Lan Xichen, Lan Huan. Are you in need of help?”

“Lan Xichen?” the man repeated, the emphasis on the first part of his courtesy name, as if he were surprised. He smirked a little and soon answered the mystery of his reaction by returning the bow and replying, “Lan Suichen. And I’m…well, where I come from, I’m the Chief Cultivator.” Before the others could quite cope with this idea, he asked absently, “Tell me, how old are you, Lan Xichen?”

“Disrespectful cur!” said Jingyi, stepping forward from behind Xichen. “Whoever you are, and you’re certainly not the Chief Cultivator, his title is ‘Zewu-jun,’ which you would do well to remember!”

“Title?” he asked with a bitter half-smile that made everyone who knew Lan Xichen somehow deeply uncomfortable. “I see. How respectable. And what is that honorable title for?”

Xichen paused, struggling to know how to respond to this person, who might share his face but was in every other way exactly the kind of person Xichen had strived not to become. “…to you first question, thirty-five.”

Suichen smirked. “Well now. How about that?” he said with clear amusement, but it wasn’t obvious what was causing it.

Xichen blinked, not knowing whether he should respond to this. Deciding the conversation would quickly get out of order at this rate, he answered the second question, “My title was given to me in recognition of deeds and conduct perceived to be in the interests of the common good.”

Suichen grinned in deep amusement and seemed to be stifling a laugh. “Is that so? Forgive me, things are quite different where I come from. The only titles I have are those I have taken for myself. Chief Cultivator. Will-breaker. Demon General.” He shrugged with a chuckle. “Whatever is best at maintaining one’s reputation.”

Xichen felt quite ill to be in this person’s presence. So soon after losing Jin Guangyao, it felt like being forced to reckon with the evil part of himself that had doubted and hurt the one dearest to him when it most mattered. 

“And…where is it that you have come from exactly?”

“Hm. Best guess?” asked the dark version of Lan Xichen, looking around him and folding his arms thoughtfully. “I suppose I would say…a mirror universe.”

…

Xichen had begun spending a lot of time with Jiang Wanyin ever since he returned from his self-enforced isolation after the downfall of Jin Guangyao. Wanyin seemed to be the only person who understood how lost he felt, and though he felt guilty to be keeping him from his many duties as both a sect leader and support to another prominent sect, he was very grateful for his presence. 

Tonight, after they had gotten their new visitor settled for the evening, the two were as usual sharing a pot of tea and hashing out the dealings of the day. But the atmosphere was heavier than usual as neither seemed able to forget the sight of Xichen’s face looking as jaded and ruthless as someone like Xue Yang’s.

“Xichen. Are you all right?” Wanyin asked, almost under his breath. 

Xichen’s heart fluttered at his concern, and he managed a difficult smile. “Thank you, Wanyin, it’s nothing. Just a little disturbing, seeing one’s own face looking so…different.”

Wanyin’s face flickered with pity and he looked down in thought. “Has he said anything more about where he came from, or why he’s here?”

Xichen shook his head. “He claimed to be in need of rest, which is understandable. As to his claim of where he came from…it has long been theorized that there are infinite potential realities which diverge from ours in small ways and large. His face alone would seem to be proof of the theory. Even so…he is clearly an entirely different person.”

“Is he?”

Xichen blinked in shock, and a significant degree of hurt, that Jiang Cheng wouldn’t know immediately what he meant. “You think we are the same?”

“Not exactly the same, no. Of course not. But it’s not a matter of apples and oranges either. More like apple and…wormy apple.”

XIchen would normally have found Jiang Cheng’s unique metaphorical technique quite amusing, but he could not find any association with that person to be funny at all. He covered his eyes with his hand, feeling far more tired than he usually did at this hour. 

He knew it was wasn’t rational, but even months later, every wrong or fault he committed in the world felt like being blamed again for A-Yao’s death. It was so hard to feel any self-worth at all anymore. In that state of mind, this Lan Suichen’s presence seemed almost to be a form of divine punishment.

“I…didn’t mean you’re the same,” Wanyin said quickly, in an unusually sensitive moment. He worriedly gauged Xichen’s facial expression and added hesitantly, “You’re Lan Xichen. You don’t have an equal in this world or any other. So…don’t make that face.”

Xichen took in a quick breath at the relief and comfort that washed over him from Jiang Cheng’s awkward consolation. He smiled warmly toward him, opening his mouth to say words he had been long holding back. But at the last moment, A-Yao’s crying face appeared in his mind and his words vanished like so much smoke. 

Instead, “Thank you, Wanyin,” he said quietly. “In any case, we will know more tomorrow. Of course, I am sure you have duties at home to see to, and so if you cannot stay I-”

“There’s nothing that can’t wait,” Jiang Cheng said, dismissively shaking his head an taking a sip of tea. 

Xichen smiled softly. He also appreciated how humble Jiang Cheng was about his own good deeds. He often didn’t even seem to realize he was doing them. If only Xichen had gotten to know him first…but no, he told himself with a pang of sadness. It was no good dwelling on such things. Historically, Lan hearts were not only romantic, but also as immovable as stone. He wanted not to love A-Yao anymore, not to have ever loved him. But he was discovering, such things could not be achieved by wishing.

The next day, they attempted to glean more about their visitor in an empty meditation room at the Cloud Recesses. As soon as he heard about his existence, Wangji refused to let Xichen meet with this Lan Suichen alone and stood tensely over them without sitting down, Bichen grasped tight in his hand. Wanyin likewise insisted on being at Xichen’s side. Though he felt a little guilty for this, Xichen found Wangji’s automatically confrontational reaction to this person to be a great relief. 

“How did you pass through from your universe to this one?” Xichen asked him, soon after their arrival that day. 

The dark version of himself was sitting with one elbow resting on his propped up knee, doing a much better impression of Wei Wuxian than Lan Xichen, but the face remained the pleasant and serene one they all knew. He glanced at Xichen and offered a smile that seemed to know much more than his words were willing to divulge. Suichen shrugged.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said simply.

“You mean you did not come intentionally?”

Suichen chuckled in what seemed to be self-deprecation. “I don’t know what to tell you. I was out for a stroll and the next thing I know, I’m staring at my own face. If a little…blander.”

Xichen chose to ignore this slight insult, although he could almost feel Wangji’s jaw tightening behind him, and instead continued, “But you do wish to return?”

“Hm,” said Suichen thoughtfully, looking around the room and carefully observing all three other people with him. “It does seem a bit dull here, I’ll be honest. And giving up the title of Chief Cultivator is no small thing. By the way, who is the Chief Cultivator in this universe?”

“Currently…the Nie clan leader, Nie Huaisang.”

“Huaisang?!” Suichen asked with a raucous laugh, shocking all three others with Xichen’s voice raised to such volume. “Mingjue’s artsy little brother? Wait…did you say ‘Nie clan leader’?” he asked with sudden seriousness. “Where’s Mingjue?”

Xichen closed his eyes to hold back the painful memories of the last, horrific death knolls of Nie Mingjue’s body and spirit. He nodded. “He…left us early.”

The stranger’s facial expression darkened at this, and his gaze traveled slowly to the ground before him. He didn’t seem to want to accept this, raising a hand to cover his mouth in deep thought. “How?” he asked at length, a hint of anger lapping at the edges of his eyes. 

Xichen did try to answer, but the words stuck in his throat. Even now, it was difficult even to accept in his own mind what Jin Guangyao had done, much less give voice to it.

“Murder,” Wangji said simply. 

Suichen looked up at him with what looked surprisingly similar to affection. “I figured,” he said, more gently than he had spoken before. “But who?”

“Jin Guangyao,” Jiang Cheng barked out from a tensed jaw.

But Suichen showed no recognition of this name. “Guangyao?” he repeated curiously. “I know a Jin Guangshan. Some relation to him?”

Wanyin scoffed, but did not speak. So Wangji instead contributed, “His second son. Only accepted into the family in adulthood. Formerly ‘Meng Yao.’”

Suichen’s lips parted. “A-Yao?” he murmured in astonishment. “Impossible. He worships Mingjue.”

Xichen’s heart seemed to be breaking all over again just hearing his own voice say that name with such affection as it used to. He took in a sharp breath as a question he shouldn’t ask nearly reached his lips. But fortunately Wanyin spoke first.

“If Chifeng-zun is alive in your world, and Jin Guangshan never accepted him, maybe somehow he avoided walking down the wrong path,” Jiang Cheng said, though there was bitterness hiding in every other word. “Clearly, many things are different between your world and ours.”

Suichen nodded dully, but he seemed shaken by the possibility that Meng Yao could have murdered Nie Mingjue. Xichen remembered that feeling very well. It was so painful to see it happening all over again, even to someone he was disposed to dislike. 

Suichen’s eyes eventually lifted to those which most resembled his own. He stared hard at Xichen for some time, seeming to be looking for something that was difficult to find. “I hope you won’t mind if I’m a little indelicate,” he said. “I just can’t seem to hold back my curiosity. If Mingjue is dead and Meng Yao killed him, who exactly shares my bed in this world?”

As Xichen sat rigid with shock, and Wangji seemed to be preparing to take this arrogant man’s head off, Jiang Wanyin was taking in rapid breaths like a fish out of water. “You…obscene…” he hissed, unable to form a complete thought. 

Suichen genuinely seemed to not understand what the problem was. “Forgive me, but what are those faces for? The Chief Cultivator doesn’t have a harem in this world?” he asked, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. “Oh, that’s right. You’re not the Chief Cultivator here,” he said, though clearly he had not forgotten. “But you do at least still have lovers in this universe, don’t you? Things can’t be all that different.”

Through gritted teeth, Wangji told him harshly, “Only one love is permitted in one lifetime. It is one of the precepts of the Gusu Lan Sect.”

Xichen closed his eyes again, feeling the unintended sting of Wangji’s disapproval in these words. If he were permitted only one love in this lifetime, then he would die alone with the knowledge that that person’s blood was on his hands.

But Suichen chuckled. “Yes, you keep saying ‘sect,’ as if it’s a religion. So there are actual precepts too? That is too amusing. In my world, I make the rules, mostly on a whim. Things became quite peaceful, eventually, as soon as the troublemakers learned the cost of disobeying me. It’s nice to see your face with two eyes again, Wangji,” he said warmly to his little brother.

Both Lan brothers took in a sudden breath of horror at what he was implying. Wangji started to step forward with his hand on Bichen’s hilt, but Xichen stopped him. 

“Your Excellency,” Xichen said respectfully toward Suichen. “I understand the temptation, but telling us too many details of your world may only be inviting chaos. We should have been more cautious about the previous matter too. Our apologies.”

“Oh but this information may prove invaluable, if I can ever return,” Suichen said, though sounding not particularly concerned either way. “I know I can’t trust A-Yao with my back now. Can’t exactly keep someone like that in my harem now, poor thing. I will miss him.”

Xichen’s breath caught. Without thinking, he muttered softly, “Please do not be rash, Your Excellency.”

He felt Wangji’s harsh gaze shift in his direction, but he ignored it.

“As Wanyin said, many things may be different where you come from. And in A-Yao’s case in particular…if his father had never been so cruel with him, he might never have…” Xichen’s voice left him as he realized he was only repeating the words he had used to rationalize Jin Guangyao’s actions over and over up until now. The two people beside him, in particular, must be utterly disgusted with him, he thought.

Suichen’s lips slowly curved upward in a subtle but poorly contained expression of delight. He watched Xichen’s face with fascination, then glanced from one to the other of Wangji and Jiang Cheng. “This is interesting. It’s not Mingjue and it’s not A-Yao.” While looking at Wangji he said, “Even I would never think to lay my hands on my own blood, delicious as you do look with an unscarred face.”

A creaking noise came from Wangji’s mouth as he gritted his teeth until a vein throbbed in his neck. Suichen looked pleased by this reaction, but soon his gaze turned to Wanyin.

“And you, little pup. What’s your name?”

Jiang Cheng slammed one foot on the ground so he was on his knee with Sandu half drawn. “Who’s ‘little pup’?” he growled. “Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Jiang Wanyin.”

Suichen shook his head with a chuckle. “Can’t be this one. Mingjue covers for a bad temper with an outstanding physique and unshakeable honor. But a scrawny uncle with the temperament of a sheltered princess? Ha, surely I can do better, even weak-willed and limp-wristed as I seem to be here.”

With a metallic shing, Wangji drew Bichen completely. “Xiong-zhang,” he muttered, clearly asking for permission to imprison or kill this person.

“As expected of Wangji. You seem desperate to test yourself against me in any universe,” said Suichen, with fire sparkling in his dark eyes.

Xichen gracefully got to his feet, and the atmosphere instantly cooled. Suichen’s smile even faded a little.

“Excellency,” Xichen said, with a respectful bow of his head. “Even honored guests are expected to follow a code of conduct within the Cloud Recesses. Our precepts are carved into the Wall of Discipline,” he said, gesturing toward where it could be found. “Or if you prefer I can provide you with a written copy.”

Suichen bowed his head too, showing himself surprisingly capable of humility despite his errant tongue. “That would be much appreciated, since I don’t know how long I’ll be staying. I wouldn’t want to cause any disruption.”

Xichen clasped his hands and bowed. “Excuse me while I go and find one.”

“…Xichen!” said Jiang Cheng as he hurried after him, followed closely by Wangji. “You’re just going to leave him? Shouldn’t he be locked up?”

Xichen shook his head. “His manner may not be what we are used to. But he is still a guest, and we have no idea how he came here. He may well be in danger from the aftereffects of whatever spell brought him here. It would be against our precepts to abandon him in any case.”

“He can still be cared for in a jail cell,” Wangji muttered.

Xichen smiled and shook his head. “When his only crime has been upsetting our sensibilities? Even Uncle would hesitate to answer so minor an offense with so severe a punishment.”

“Then we can only act after he has already harmed someone?” Wangji pressed, unusually obstinately toward his brother. 

Xichen closed his eyes with a sigh as they were already about to enter the library, and said simply, “True justice does not condemn the innocent. Our morals do not change based on our personal tastes either. You know this well, Wangji.”

The younger shamefully lowered his gaze at this reprimand from his elder. 

…

Jiang Cheng probably should have taken Xichen at his word, to treat this interloper as a guest until they had reason to do otherwise. But as soon as they parted company for Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji to perform their evening duties, he couldn’t get over the feeling that the dark version of Lan Xichen shouldn’t be left to his own devices. 

He used a small spell to conceal his spiritual energy and carefully approached the meditation room that had been allotted to Lan Suichen. He expected to find him still reading inside, so he crept up to a gap in the door and attempted to peer through it.

“If it’s a candid look you’re after, you need only to ask.”

Jiang Cheng jumped and instinctively drew Sandu, which clashed with a powerful, black sword swirling with spiritual energy. He winced as it took all his strength just to avoid being blown away. The power was definitely on par with Lan Xichen’s.

Their clash broke and the two leapt apart. Lan Suichen, who had somehow managed to leave the room and sneak up on Jiang Cheng from behind, chuckled and observed his own sword, feeling the remains of Jiang Cheng’s power clashing against it.

“Your weapon…what’s it called?” Jiang Cheng asked, unable to conceal his interest in the powerful item. 

“Yueshi,” he said with a smirk. Jiang Cheng’s chest felt squeezed each time he saw this smile, as it was so alike to Xichen’s but contained a level of intelligence and guile that Xichen rarely allowed to show. “And yours?”

“Sandu.”

“Mm,” the dark gentleman commented, feeling the flat of his blade. “It does have a bite, doesn’t it? Does its owner, too, I wonder?”

Suddenly, Jiang Cheng found himself pinned up against the wall of the meditation room. Before he could even draw a full breath, Suichen’s beautiful yet terrifying face was inches from his own, still bearing a soft expression of amusement. Yet the amusement seemed to fade away as he watched Jiang Cheng’s face with more and more interest. 

“You came because you were curious, didn’t you, little lamb?” Suichen asked, usurping Xichen’s lovely, low voice to say such shameless things. So why did Jiang Cheng feel a thrill run up his spine as he heard them? “You came to find out whether everything was the same. I won’t deny you. Check for yourself.”

So saying, he used a single finger to tug at the lapels of his yi. Jiang Cheng’s heart raced, but he couldn’t even make a sound as his eyes helplessly followed that wicked finger as it brought more and more muscular, scarred flesh into view. Surely Xichen did not have this many scars, he thought, but he also swallowed unconsciously as he felt himself salivating at the scent of cinnamon rather than sandalwood that emanated from Suichen’s skin. 

“There…good boy. Take a look for yourself,” Suichen purred softly. “How much is the same?”

“I…” Jiang Cheng gasped, shaking his head. He shut his eyes tight in order to cry in frustration, “I’ve never seen his body!”

Suichen actually frowned at that. He tilted his head in thought before eventually guessing, “He likes to do it with his clothes on?”

Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue in irritation. “We don’t have that kind of relationship! Stop your shameless flirting, it won’t get you anything.”

Suichen didn’t seem to know what to do with this at first, bringing a knuckle up to his lips in thought. “Oh…oh but this is precious,” he whispered, again somehow locking Jiang Cheng in an intense stare that made it hard for him to breathe. “He’s so pure, he won’t even reach out his hand for what he wants. How pitiable!”

“Insult him again and I’ll make sure you regret it,” Jiang Cheng growled. 

Suichen suddenly grasped Jiang Cheng’s chin and ran his long fingers down the side of his neck seductively. Jiang Cheng made an odd noise and froze instinctively, his heart thundering as Suichen’s intense gaze fell on his lips. 

“Are you going to punish me?” Suichen asked in his dulcet baritone.

Jiang Cheng shivered, a soft gasp escaping his lips as a strange kind of pleasure ran up his spine. “I…I…” he stammered, unable to complete a thought as his eyes were drawn to the open portions of Suichen’s clothes again.

“Don’t fret, little lamb. I’m sure a punishment from you would be delicious,” he whispered in his ear, causing Jiang Cheng to nearly lose the strength in his legs. “But for now, I’m afraid, I don’t have the patience. I’ve got to know what it’s like to tease you.” As he said this, he used both hands to possessively squeeze down on Jiang Cheng’s arms, at which Jiang Cheng let out a soft noise of distress. “Keep being a good boy like you are now, and I’ll give you the best reward you can imagine.”

“Hahhh…” Jiang Cheng gasped in spite of himself. He was helpless as Suichen took him by the arms and pulled him inside the meditation room, closing the door behind them. 

But when he felt the dark Xichen run his lips softly against his neck, inhaling his scent, he finally remembered the real Xichen would never do this with him. He pushed Suichen back. 

“Not you…” he whispered. 

Suichen actually gave him a gentle smile, looking painfully like Xichen. “You want Xichen,” he guessed, caressing Jiang Cheng’s cheek. Jiang Cheng shivered, feeling suddenly like he wanted to cry. “He wants you too. But…I think that’s exactly what you’re afraid of.”

As Jiang Cheng gasped in breaths, struggling to cope with being handled so sensuously while being tormented emotionally, Suichen held him tighter. He leaned in close and whispered into Jiang Cheng’s ear, “You’re afraid…because even if he wants you, he can only ever love one. And it isn’t you. The way he defended A-Yao earlier…that must have hurt.”

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, halfheartedly pushing him back. But Suichen only tightened his grasp, inadvertently comforting him even as he broke his heart. “But I’m not like him. I love freely, without guilt, without regret or fear.” He placed a surprisingly gentle kiss on Jiang Cheng’s hair. “Even I can see you’re worthy of love. What’s so good about him?”

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth; the last phrase had been a mistake. He shoved Suichen back with significant force this time, even though he was physically so much larger and stronger that he barely moved. 

“It’s not about good or bad,” Jiang Cheng muttered, though he could feel hot tears dripping down his cheeks. “It’s not his face or his body, or his power. You can’t tempt me with love either, I know he’d never love me and it hasn’t made any difference in the sixteen years I’ve known and loved him. There is only one Lan Xichen. You’re a poor imitation.”

Jiang Cheng turned and managed to open the door before Suichen wrapped his arms around him from behind and pulled him close. He ran his hand up Jiang Cheng’s neck, an action equally erotic as it was threatening. 

“This is a problem,” he murmured, and Jiang Cheng could swear there was gathering desire in his voice. “You get more charming the more you defend him. Jiang Wanyin…I want to see you crumble.”

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth and prepared to fight, even as another tear ran down his cheek, but then suddenly there was dull thud and a clatter of a sword in its sheath above his head. Suichen’s grip loosened. The next thing he knew, a streak of white shot past him, and then there was an explosion of wood and debris from the back of the room. 

Jiang Cheng whirled to see what had happened. When the dust cleared, a divine being seemed to be holding a demonic one by the neck against the floor. Lan Xichen pinned Lan Suichen down, where there used to be a bookcase but now was only debris. In a surprising moment of cruelty that Jiang Cheng would not have thought him capable of, Xichen lifted Suichen’s head by the neck and slammed it again into the floor with a painful-sounding thud. Suichen, who was already bleeding from the sheathed Shuoyue hitting his temple, hissed in pain and glowered up at Xichen. 

“Psychologically I’m not sure whether or not it’s murder if I kill you,” Xichen said with deceptive softness.

Suichen actually managed a chuckle. “Don’t pretend you’re capable of that.”

Xichen did not speak for a moment. When he did, he leaned in close and Jiang Cheng was unable to catch what he said. Whatever it was, when he drew back again, Suichen was looking pale. 

Xichen took in a shaking breath and let it out. Though he seemed to want to do much more, he reached into his lapel to retrieve a talisman, raising it to his forehead to imbue it with spiritual energy. Without hesitation, he slapped the talisman to Suichen’s forehead. The dark Xichen’s eyes fluttered and closed, his body going limp. 

That done, Xichen slowly got to his feet. But once there, he didn’t move. Despite the immense relief he had felt at his arrival, Jiang Cheng felt a sudden rush of fear that Xichen had overheard any part of their conversation. None of it was good, but in particular he couldn’t bear it if Xichen discovered his feelings. He knew it would only make him feel guilty and uncomfortable. He cursed his own mouth, realizing there had been no reason at all for being so honest with that scum bag. 

“Wanyin…are you all right?” Xichen murmured hesitantly. 

“Of course. He didn’t really do anything,” Jiang Cheng said quickly. 

Xichen hadn’t really been looking at him properly to begin with, but his gaze lowered even further, as if it were weighted down to the floor. “…you’re crying.”

Jiang Cheng sighed irritably, wiping his face on his sleeves. “It’s nothing.”

Xichen’s expression looked tortured. “Wangji was right. Why didn’t I listen? Am I so incapable of learning from my own mistakes?”

Jiang Cheng didn’t know what to say, he could barely keep up with why Xichen was upset. He glanced down at the unconscious Suichen, wondering how it must feel to be betrayed by oneself like that. “Xichen…did you hear anything he said just now?”

Xichen quickly looked up in a panic. “What did he say?”

Jiang Cheng sighed with relief. At least he hadn’t overheard. “Nothing. He’s not a threat now, so let’s just get out of here. And…thank you, for that. Just now.”

Xichen only shook his head in despair, no doubt thinking he had already come too late. As he looked toward the ground in guilt, his eyes fell on the way Suichen’s robes were slightly parted down the front. His gaze traveled fearfully up to Jiang Cheng’s clothes, seeing that his were somewhat out of place as well. Jiang Cheng self-consciously fixed them. 

“Come on,” he urged again. “Let’s have a cup of tea and calm down.”

Xichen still seemed shell-shocked, but he obeyed Jiang Cheng’s suggestion, and they left the demonic version unconscious in the pile of rubble in order to return to Xichen’s quarters. Xichen insisted on checking Jiang Cheng’s qi thoroughly before they even began to drink. Jiang Cheng sighed but patiently allowed this, taking the opportunity to enjoy the rare focus of Xichen’s attention on him. 

Finally, satisfied that he was not hurt, Xichen slowly removed his touch on Jiang Cheng’s wrist as he gazed forlornly at the floor. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“You just saved me. What are you sorry for?”

Xichen closed his eyes in clear self-hatred. “It’s only because of my attention toward you. It’s my fault he attacked you.”

Jiang Cheng’s heart felt squeezed by that phrasing, but he quickly reminded himself ‘attention’ wasn’t necessary romantic. He shook his head. “He’s a scum bag. That’s nobody’s fault but his.”

“But…I’m him.”

Jiang Cheng sighed loudly. “You’re clearly not.” Silently, he added, ‘You’d never touch me,’ but out loud, “You have more honor in your pinky toe. Take my advice, and don’t think about it another-“

Suddenly, Jiang Cheng’s voice faltered as he felt himself wrapped in an embrace. His head was filled with the scent of sandalwood, his heart threatening to break apart. Lan Xichen was clinging to him and shaking. 

It was a long time before either of them spoke. Finally, Xichen murmured in a barely audible whisper, “I’ve never felt so angry.” He still trembled and his voice sounded sad, but Jiang Cheng believed him. Xichen had so little anger in him that any amount must be uncomfortable. “But how can I be angry at him? Some part of me would have touched you like that, and made you cry. I’m so sorry, Wanyin.”

Jiang Cheng let out a low, shaking breath. Gradually, he wrapped his arms around Xichen’s back and returned his embrace, shocking the older man. “You’re not the same,” he assured him softly.

“How can you know?” Xichen whispered.

Jiang Cheng’s jaw tightened. He felt sick just at the thought of saying what he was about to say to the person he admired most in the world. He would lose him forever after this, he was sure. Not only just being allowed near him, he was certain Xichen would lose respect for him. But as unbearable as that thought was, thinking his silence would hurt him felt even worse. 

“Obviously I know, because I don’t love him,” Jiang Cheng said gruffly, in an attempt to deflect from sounding pathetic. 

Xichen froze. Gradually, he drew back away from Jiang Cheng, but kept his hands resting on his shoulders as he looked down at him in confusion. 

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and sighed. “You’re not really that surprised, are you? I don’t make much of a secret about it.”

“I…never thought…”

“Okay, stop,” Jiang Cheng said quickly, feeling the urge to cry rising up again. “Before you start feeling guilty or anything, it’s my heart. I’m in charge of it and it’s my business if I’m incapable of loving someone not quite so far out of reach. So don’t start spiraling or…”

He trailed off once again as he felt Xichen’s hands gather around his face, and the larger man leaned in close to press his forehead to Jiang Cheng’s in an unbearably gentle gesture of affection. “Wanyin,” he whispered, his long eyelashes fluttering. “I was afraid to say it. I feared loving and being wrong again. I never believed you might feel the same.”

The same? Jiang Cheng repeated these magical words in his head several times before they started to sink in. His fingers tightened over Xichen’s back. He let the weight of his head rest against Xichen’s to savor what might be his only chance to be this close. 

“Giving me false hope is worse, Xichen,” he pleaded softly. “I just want you to be happy. Don’t force it.”

With that, suddenly Jiang Cheng felt a soft and blissfully sweet kiss against his cheek. His skin tingled. “I love you,” Xichen whispered.

Jiang Cheng gasped, barely able to breathe. “You…”

“May I kiss you?”

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes in desperation, clasping Xichen’s hands as they still cradled his face. What could he possibly say? He couldn’t believe Xichen really meant it, and yet he was so bursting with happiness and anticipation that he could barely breathe. He helplessly turned his face up to the perfect being that he loved. 

“Xichen…” he begged softly. 

Almost before the word had left his lips, pleasant sensations washed over him as tender, trembling lips pressed to his own. He sucked in a breath through his nose and clung with both arms around Xichen’s neck, desperately pulling him closer. Before long, the two slipped down to the floor.

Xichen’s breath was racing as he broke away to gaze at Jiang Cheng’s face as he lay over him. “Wanyin…are you sure I’m good enough?”

Jiang Cheng recoiled slightly at this preposterous suggestion. “How much reminding do you need, that you’re Lan Xichen?” he teased gently. “You think there’s a single person on this earth who doesn’t love and admire you?”

“…admiration is not the same as love.”

“…well I do love you,” Jiang Cheng grumbled bitterly. 

Xichen’s eyes began to sparkle. Jiang Cheng wanted to spare his heart and look away from the intensity of his beauty, but it was impossible. “Since when?”

Jiang Cheng covered his face with his hands in shame. “I don’t know! I did have a crush on Wen Qing in the middle, but, just…agh! Too long, all right?!”

A blush slowly crept up Xichen’s cheeks. His lovely eyes blinked rapidly as he struggled to interpret this information. “Wen Qing…in the middle? That would mean…since we met? When we were teenagers?”

“Yes! Shut up!” Jiang Cheng begged from between his fingers.

Xichen’s brief happiness at this revelation quickly grew complex. “Then…you were standing by, all that time when I was with A-Yao…” He closed his eyes bitterly and seemed to be holding back tears. “How could I never see it?”

Jiang Cheng shifted his jaw uncomfortably. “Well. Do you see it now?”

Xichen cautiously met his gaze. He took in each feature of Jiang Cheng’s face with touching devotion, all the while his expression softening. He raised a shaking hand to cup Jiang Cheng’s face, and slowly nodded once. “Yes…”

“Then shut up.”

Saying this, and using up half a lifetime of courage, he raised his arms up to hold the love of his life, the unattainable flower on a high peak, and pull him down into a deep but awkward kiss. Xichen should have experience from being with Jin Guangyao, he thought, but his large and powerful body was trembling like a virgin. Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, had had sixteen odd years of imagining and little else. Neither had much confidence, but at the same time both felt too good to stop their tenuous embracing.

Jiang Cheng eventually realized, after the two had been kissing on the floor with increasing desperation for some time that Xichen was not going to make the first move in getting them undressed. He felt his heart squeezed with tender admiration for this gentle and innocent man. 

“Xichen,” he said as their lips briefly parted. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”

“…in the middle of the afternoon?”

Jiang Cheng sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. “Right. I’m asking because I want to take a nap together. Or, you could extrapolate what I mean from the massive erection that’s been brushing up against your leg.”

Xichen’s face lit up bright red as he took in a sharp breath. “I…thought that was your sword.”

“You’re so charming it’s insufferable!” Jiang Cheng protested, getting up and pulling Xichen along behind him. Once they had crossed into the bedroom and he had shut the door behind them, Jiang Cheng looked down admiringly at Xichen’s long-fingered hand, still held in his own, and asked awkwardly, “You do know how to do it, though, right?”

Xichen hesitated, likewise looking down affectionately at Jiang Cheng’s hand. “A-…Jin Guangyao did most of the work. The few times it happened, it was all a bit of a blur.”

Jiang Cheng hated himself a little for getting harder just by hearing how inexperienced Xichen was. “I don’t know what I’m doing either. So at least I can’t judge.”

Xichen smiled softly and nodded. He touched Jiang Cheng on the shoulder softly to make sure he saw what he was doing. He pulled him close and simply held him for a few moments as if thanking him. Jiang Cheng was impatient to touch him more, but it felt so good to be held this way that his eyes stung a little. He held him tightly in return. 

When he finally did break away a little, it was only enough to nuzzle Jiang Cheng’s cheek and place several kisses there. “Wanyin,” Xichen whispered, then once again stole several kisses from his lips. Jiang Cheng had to struggle not to let out moans against his mouth. 

Finally reaching the end of his patience, Jiang Cheng boldly allowed his fingers to run up the sides of Xichen’s ribs. The larger man shuddered and let out a soft gasp that made Jiang Cheng’s spine tingle. 

“Do you dislike it?” Jiang Cheng asked nervously. 

Xichen quickly shook his head. “No,” he gasped. “I’m just anxious…”

Jiang Cheng nodded, acknowledging that he was too. He decided it was probably all right to keep going unless Xichen told him to stop. He pulled Xichen’s lapels slightly apart and placed a hesitant kiss on his chest. Xichen’s shuddering gasp and the tightening of his fingers over Jiang Cheng’s shoulders told him that this one definitely felt good. 

He fumbled with Xichen’s belt and managed to let it slither to the floor, which then enabled him to shrug off most of his upper clothing by running his finger’s down his shoulders. Jiang Cheng swallowed hard as Xichen’s impeccable body came to light. Though not totally absent of scars, he had been right that his perfect figure was almost entirely pristine, the ideal male body. He couldn’t help running his fingers down the ridges between his muscles.

Xichen shivered and hunched his shoulders, grasping onto Jiang Cheng’s wrists self-consciously. “Wanyin…can I touch you too?”

Jiang Cheng sighed. “Listen here. You don’t need to ask things like that. Not at a time like this anyway. I’m pretty sure I’d be happy even to be slapped by you, so certainly anything short of that, just do what you like.”

Xichen looked horrified. “…I don’t want to slap you…”

“I said ‘even’! Obviously I want you to make me feel good!”

Xichen sighed with a relieved smile. He leaned in close and whispered Jiang Cheng’s name in his ear, causing the smaller man to shiver all over and cling to the slightly cool skin of his bare upper body. Xichen attempted to repeat Jiang Cheng’s actions, but after only a couple of seconds, there was a large tearing noise and several pieces fell to the floor that had formerly been one item of clothing.

Both men observed the carnage at their feet in mild confusion. Xichen buried his face in his hands. “I’m sorry. I forgot. I can manage my own all right but I can’t be trusted around other people’s clothes.”

Though feeling a tinge of nervousness about being held by arms so strong they didn’t even notice ripping fibers, Jiang Cheng was too excited now to care much. “Forget it. Don’t stop anymore,” he begged softly, pulling him back down to kiss him again. 

Xichen was happy enough to resume running his hands experimentally down Jiang Cheng’s body. By the time they tumbled into bed together, Xichen had fortunately remembered one thing that Jin Guangyao always did to prepare. He brought over an oil lamp. 

“Wanyin,” he said gently. “I can do either, so…do prefer to be the one who enters, or is entered?”

Jiang Cheng blinked in surprise that he would even ask. Being younger, smaller and, he had to admit, weaker, he had been assuming that Xichen would expect him to be on the bottom. His head was suddenly filled with thoughts of making Xichen writhe beneath him, crying out his name, but his face flushed red hot and he shook his head to rid himself of the thought. Maybe someday, but for now he could barely keep his head on his shoulders. 

“The…second one,” he grumbled reluctantly.

Xichen nodded, smiling. “Then I need to prepare you.”

He used the oil to coat his long fingers, and then gently brought his hand between Jiang Cheng’s legs, slowly so he didn’t surprise him. His hands were so gentle as they parted Jiang Cheng’s buttocks and glided several times over his entrance, then began massaging it softly in preparation to enter. 

“Is it uncomfortable?” Xichen asked, even though he hadn’t even put one finger inside yet.

Jiang Cheng shook his head numbly. On the contrary, right now he was feeling so good it was quite embarrassing. He unconsciously squeezed down on Xichen’s forearm as he shifted his hips impatiently. 

“Then…I’ll put one finger inside.”

“Ngh!” Jiang Cheng moaned as he felt Xichen’s finger pushing inside him. “Stop…commenting on things!” he demanded. 

Xichen nodded and kissed his cheek, to which Jiang Cheng moaned again and didn’t realize as he lifted his face up pleadingly. But Xichen noticed and responded by sweetly kissing him the whole time he stretched his entrance out, one finger at a time. 

Jiang Cheng was having trouble controlling his voice. All sorts of sounds slipped out against his will, and even this increased both his embarrassment and desire. His mind grew hazy as warmth spread all over his body, focusing almost unbearably on the pleasant feelings arising from between his legs. His entrance began twitching around Xichen’s fingers, hungering for more. 

“Xichen…enough!” he begged. “Give it to me…!”

Xichen gasped and suddenly kissed him deeply, slipping his tongue inside his mouth and somehow driving Jiang Cheng’s desire and impatience even further with its delicate caresses. “Wanyin…I don’t want to hurt you…”

Jiang Cheng growled in frustration. “My dick hurts right now,” he told him flatly. “I’ll deal with the consequences. Please…if you touch me any more I’ll cum…”

Xichen let out another soft, shuddering gasp and eventually nodded. He lined up his hips over Jiang Cheng’s, allowing his impressive member to press just lightly against the place his fingers had just left. Jiang Cheng suddenly felt nervous, but he’d imagined this so many times and never thought it would be real. He was so happy he felt he might melt. As the heat pushed slowly inside him, pain and pleasure mixed and overwhelmed his every sense.

Xichen panted harshly over him as he slid deeper and deeper, and finally managed to fit completely inside. “Wanyin…” he gasped. “Does it hurt?”

Jiang Cheng couldn’t speak. He let out a lingering cry as he dug his fingernails into Xichen’s iron-like back. He savored the blissful expression and arch of Xichen’s neck to feel Jiang Cheng’s passion. Xichen wrapped his arms around him and kissed his cheek.

“Scratch me more,” he whispered. “It will help me keep my head…”

Jiang Cheng moaned wordlessly as he gradually got used to Xichen’s enormous length inside him. He barely understood what Xichen was saying to him, but as soon as his hips began to move, he clung so tight to his chest that he almost forced the air from Xichen’s lungs. 

“Wanyin…” Xichen moaned. “I…can’t move…”

Jiang Cheng forced some order back into his addled mind and was eventually able to shift his grasp to his shoulders, arching his back up tight to Xichen’s body so every time he moved, Jiang Cheng’s cock brushed tantalizingly against Xichen’s rippling stomach muscles. After only a few thrusts inside, he was throwing back his head and crying out in wordless agony with the pleasure robbing him of thought.

“Wanyin…Wanyin…” Xichen whispered over and over. His voice too rose higher as even the feeling of Jiang Cheng’s fingernails dragged over his back began to feel good. “I can’t…I can’t think…Wanyin…”

Finally, as a slow explosion nearly reached its peak inside Jiang Cheng’s body, he managed to cry out, “Xichen!”

Jiang Cheng’s body went rigid and then twitched repeatedly, clamping down painfully hard on Xichen. Xichen’s achingly pleasant voice reverberated against Jiang Cheng’s ears and chest as he cried out almost in unison. Xichen desperately buried his face in the hollow of Jiang Cheng’s neck as he let out his entire load inside him, which took so long that the twitching of his cock brought Jiang Cheng to a second, smaller orgasm before he had even fully recovered from the first. 

The two men held each other for many long minutes after, still trembling. Despite his earlier mocking the idea, Jiang Cheng nearly fell asleep before he noticed soft kisses against his neck and cheek. Xichen pulled out of him but then wrapped him in his arms, stroking his hair and bestowing reverent kisses. Jiang Cheng’s eyes fluttered closed and he helplessly leaned into these tender caresses. 

“Thank you,” Xichen whispered, so quietly that he might have been trying not to wake Jiang Cheng if he were already asleep.

Jiang Cheng opened his eyes with a small flicker of fear that what Suichen had said was true. Xichen did want him. But that wasn’t the same as love, which historically the Lan were only ever able to give to one person their whole lives. And what if that were the case? Should he say no to doing this again? Did that make what they had already done a mistake?

Though mentally preparing himself for pain if he was right, he asked softly to hide the anxiety in his voice, “What for?”

“Waiting for me.”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes began to sting. He closed them and turned his face into Xichen’s sweet-smelling chest to hide it from view. He held him tightly as he muttered, “You’re worth waiting for.”

Xichen gasped and tried to lean back to see Jiang Cheng’s face. “I didn’t hear…could you say it again?”

Jiang Cheng went bright red and whirled away from him. “You heard! I won’t say it again!”

But as he was lying with his back to him, he felt Xichen snuggle up against him and place a kiss on the back of his neck. “I won’t force you if you don’t want to,” he said, with a trace of sadness. “But I’ll get insecure if you don’t reassure me sometimes. It seems like a dream so it’s hard not to doubt that it’s real.”

Jiang Cheng thumped his head against the bed as he struggled again not to cry. How could he be so perfect? And how could he make him realize it?

He reluctantly turned partway toward him, lightly touching his opposite shoulder with his fingertips. “I’d wait…another sixteen years, if I had to,” he muttered. 

After a moment to take in these reluctantly uttered, painfully romantic words, Jiang Cheng felt Xichen’s head come to rest against his back. He was shaking again. He sniffed a little as he held onto Jiang Cheng like a piece of driftwood at sea. Jiang Cheng guiltily placed a hand on top of Xichen’s as it held his chest. 

“It’s nothing to cry over, is it?”

Another sniff. And then softly, against his hair, “I love you, Jiang Wanyin.”

“…ngh…love you…too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	16. Suichen's Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into Dark Xichen's previous life, and a lecherous encounter with Wei Wuxian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Lan Wangji’s sword in the mirror universe is Zhuiji 追缉, “to hunt down.”  
> *Wangji is referencing the Guo Yu 國語, an early text on political persuasion. The Duke of Shao cautions King Li against discouraging criticism against him by using blocking rivers as a metaphor for the consequences of obstructing free will.

In the hazy, semi-comatose state inflicted on him by Lan Xichen’s talisman, Lan Suichen dreamed he had somehow returned to his own world. 

Each day, in his own world, he would wake to the sun touching his face, in a vast and luxurious bed that was almost always shared. He turned over to his side and was unsurprised to find a small treat inside his arms. He smiled and pulled Meng Yao closer. 

“Good morning, my love,” he whispered in his ear before placing a kiss there.

Meng Yao made an adorable noise as he woke. “Nn…?” he murmured blearily. “Sui-ah!”

He stopped speaking abruptly as Suichen greeted him properly, by sliding his morning wood inside Meng Yao’s frequently used hole. A-Yao gasped and again tried to say his name, but instead let out a sweet cry as Suichen pushed him down and thrust deeply inside him. The adorably erotic creature twisted his hands into the sheets and moaned, bowing down his lower back to raise his hips up willingly to be fucked first thing in the morning by the known world’s most powerful cultivator.

After an intense hour with him, which left Meng Yao in a quivering state of bliss so deep he could barely lift his head, Suichen reluctantly got up in order to attend to his daily duties. Contrary to his expectations before he took the title, even though he had total control of his schedule, there was simply not enough time in the day of a Chief Cultivator not to start early. 

Wangji was waiting as usual outside his door, flushed up to his ears as usual despite being well used to mornings having to overhear his brother making love, and followed along at his side as he walked toward his study. He passed him the usual daily list of obligations on a tied sheet of bamboo strips. 

As he perused it, Suichen asked absently, “Is the Wei clan still making waves?”

“Their command center has been destroyed, but their general remains at large. Their organization is hardly worth mentioning, yet the number of rebels continues to increase regardless,” Wangji murmured, his single eye as ever hawkishly keeping Suichen’s hands visible in its periphery at all times.

Suichen sighed. “I do sometimes lose confidence, Wangji. Even though there is peace in the land, bellies are full and humanity and nature in balance, every day they complain of oppression. Is my rule really so harsh?”

Wangji’s eye narrowed and tension boiled under the surface of his outwardly stony expression. “A blocked river overflows.* Some would rather die than be controlled.”

“Oh?” Suichen wondered, flashing a dangerous smile at his endearingly bold sibling. “Does that include my little brother?”

The visible tightening of Wangji’s jaw was his only answer. Or at least, for a moment, he thought it might be. 

SWISH!

Suichen was forced to move his head back in an instant to avoid the dark, glimmering blade of Zhuiji. It passed so close he felt the wake of its path against the tips of his hair. But he only grinned. 

Though he was able to reach out and snatch Wangji’s wrist, that would not stop Zhuiji from sweeping around behind him for another pass. Instead of turning to face it, he yanked Wangji toward him, grabbing his neck and shoving him forward, and then simply stepped out of the way. 

Wangji gasped and only barely stopped Zhuiji before it sank into his chest. His sword remained hovering threateningly in the air before him as Suichen held him firmly in place with one hand gripping his wrist and the other the back of his neck. Wangji looked up with burning anger toward the one under whose shadow he still languished each day. 

Suichen leaned in close to smile affectionately at him. “Honestly. One would almost think you like punishment.”

Wangji merely looked away bitterly, unable to either voice his rage or mount a further attack. 

A low-voiced sigh from a short distance away from the two brothers. “Why do you still give him official duties?” 

Suichen looked up with a genuine smile at Mingjue, who was watching the two brothers with disdain. In the context of the dream, he had forgotten why, but Suichen felt instantly warm and relieved at seeing him. 

“Hm? Why wouldn’t I?” Suichen asked, and when Wangji tried to straighten his back he forced his head back down to humiliate him a little more.

“…because he tries to kill you almost every day. And one day he’ll succeed.”

“He is my only brother. I trust him more than anyone else in the world,” Suichen said sincerely. But he belied the sentiment with a mischievous grin moments later. “Besides, you mistake him. True, he’s not fond of my teasing, but he doesn’t actually want me dead. What he wants is to be the strongest cultivator who has ever lived. Only two ways that can happen. Isn’t that right, Wangji?”

Though Wangji didn’t answer, he did direct Zhuiji back into its sheath, whereupon Suichen finally let him go. When he straightened, Wangji didn’t even look at the other two, already back to his normal standoffish state now that his latest attempt had failed. 

Mingjue scoffed. “Either he defeats you to prove he’s stronger, or he kills you.”

“Precisely.”

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

Suichen laughed and approached Mingjue to spread a hand affectionately across his broad chest, causing the much larger man to shiver and look away. “Without a little excitement, is there any point to living?”

Mingjue’s expression intensified and he looked as if he clearly wanted to back away from Suichen’s touch. “I…told you to stop these things,” he said in an undertone, obviously conscious of Wangji’s presence. 

Suichen closed his eyes with a pleased smile and soft sigh of contentment. “You see, it’s exactly your boldness to disobey me that makes me want to do these things even more. I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to see a proud man crumble. But…you can relax. I am nothing if not merciful.” His smile broadened and became quite wolfish. “Let’s go in a closet.”

“What…Suichen, you-…!” Mingjue stammered as Suichen grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him toward the nearest storage cupboard, closing the door behind as soon as they were both in.

Ignoring Wangji’s presence, no doubt still within earshot, Suichen reached up and wrapped his arms around the older man’s neck, encouraging him to bend his head down for a kiss. “Mingjue-ge,” he teased sweetly, weaving his fingers in Mingjue’s hair at the back of his neck. “Tell the truth. You love fucking me.”

Mingjue let out a harsh breath and looked away, attempting to cover his embarrassment with a forced look of rage. But he couldn’t hide everything.

Suichen’s fingers thrummed playfully against the center of Mingjue’s hulking body, instantly confirming his suspicions about how Mingjue really felt. The larger man gasped and fell back against the closet door from having the most sensitive part of his body suddenly touched. 

Suichen stood on his toes, pressing their bodies together so he could speak so softly in Mingjue’s ear that his speech was barely more than breath. “You did me so well yesterday. It wasn’t just a fluke, was it?”

With no further warning, he produced a vial of oil from his qiankun sleeve and freed Mingjue’s cock from his clothing in order to lube it thoroughly. While Mingjue was still reeling from the sensation of being grasped so suddenly, Suichen pulled himself up, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist, knowing Mingjue would instinctively hold him up. As he did so, Suichen grinned and lightly licked his cheek. 

“Come here,” he whispered.

With that, he swallowed Mingjue’s large member inside him. Both men gasped at first, clinging to one another. Mingjue was breathing harshly and looked panicked, but he didn’t try to stop this. Instead, after a moment, Suichen shivered pleasantly as he felt Mingjue’s large hands tighten around his ass, his narrow eyes closing as a shuddering breath escaped him. 

Biting his lip through the achingly pleasurable sensations, Suichen slowly raised his hips up, then sank back down again. The second time he did this, he let out a sigh. The third time, a harsh breath. Again. Again. Moans became mixed into his heavy breaths. 

Mingjue had the biggest and hardest cock in Suichen’s harem. It always struck him in all the right places, even when Mingjue was a little reluctant to participate. In truth, part of the reason he wanted to do this privately was that he sometimes couldn’t hold back his reactions when Mingjue fucked him well. And as it turned out, he made the right decision on this occasion.

With a growl, Mingjue grasped him more tightly and flipped their positions, so Suichen had his back to the closet door. Suichen gave a hesitant, breathless chuckle. “Mingjue-ge…judging by the look in your eye…am I in trouble?”

Mingjue only glared at him in response, making excitement tingle up Suichen’s spine. He almost wondered if Mingjue would kill him and eat him. But after his fingers tightened into Suichen’s ass once again, suddenly Suichen saw stars as Mingjue pounded him violently against the door. 

Suichen could barely breathe. Mingjue’s thrusts were so fast and powerful that every time he tried to draw breath, pleasure would force out moans instead. Suichen was the strongest cultivator in the world, he had defeated every other nation and could determine how to kill anyone with a single look. But now he was being fucked like an animal inside a closet by a man physically stronger and more masculine than he. He trembled with bliss, even while contemplating how to punish Mingjue later for having the gall to dominate him this way. 

“Fuck me…” he gasped breathlessly. “Yes…yes…now, cum!”

Mingjue let out a shocked gasp as his body obeyed Suichen despite his own will. Suichen blissfully dug his fingers into the larger man’s back as the heat from Mingjue’s cock brought him to his own orgasm. It was so good, he instantly wanted another round. But sadly, there was no time. 

“Good,” he whispered, stroking Mingjue’s hair to soothe him, as he seemed somewhat overwrought. But at the end of his affectionate touching came a harsh grasp of the older man’s hair, forcing his eyes up to meet Suichen’s. “Now don’t forget. Who is your master?”

Mingjue’s harsh eyes dipped down briefly to Suichen’s lips with clear hunger. He closed his eyes in shame. “Suichen,” he murmured. 

Suichen grinned, indulging him in a deep kiss before wordlessly extricating himself and leaving Mingjue in the closet to go about his day. He caught up with Wangji outside, who glared even more harshly at being delayed yet again while being forced to listen to his brother’s moans, and together they set to work as usual, ruling the known world.

…

In this way, Suichen ruled everything around him in what felt to him like total peace, confidence and contentment. It was quite a harsh awakening when someone was kind enough to remove the talisman on his forehead, reviving all the pain from his own blows. Suichen squinted and grasped his bleeding forehead. 

“Zewu-jun! Can you hear me? What happened to you?!” asked a bright, unfamiliar voice.

He peeked open an eye to see the speaker. Kneeling beside him and worriedly examining his wounds was a rather cute young man dressed in fetching black and red. Suichen didn’t recognize him. Who – besides that Jiang Wanyin who was obviously Xichen’s lover – could be allowed to roam freely inside the Cloud Recesses?

Suichen smiled, holding his head and cautiously sitting up on his own. “Thank you for your concern. It’s not serious.”

The young man looked around in wonder at the remains of the bookshelf that Suichen had crashed into. “Were you...experimenting with some black magic or something, Zewu-jun? Who could do this to you?”

He briefly considered correcting this person, who obviously didn’t know who he was. But it seemed like much more fun to let things lie. “Something like that,” he said with a more gentle and measured tone than he would ever normally use. “And I’m afraid it’s done some tragic things to my clothes as well. Would you mind fetching me a fresh set?”

The young man looked a little hesitant, folding his arms and tilting his head cutely. “Hm…I’d love to help, but I can’t break the wards over the Cold Chamber, and I got in trouble the last time I took Lan Zhan’s clothes without asking…” 

Suichen blinked in shock at the implication in these words. Something sparked his memory; the only person to call Lan Wangji by his given name. The one Wangji had become obsessed with capturing after he began leading the rebel armies. Wei Wuxian. He looked different to what Suichen remembered, but…could it be that Wangji’s obsession in Suichen’s world had borne a very strange fruit in this one?

“…then again, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if it’s for you, Big Brother,” said the sweet young man with a happy smile. 

Suichen returned it and said experimentally, “Thank you…Master Wei.”

The young man giggled, confirming Suichen’s guess, and was gone in a flash. When he heard him returning a few minutes later, Suichen made sure he entered just at the moment he was dropping his upper clothing to the ground. Wei Wuxian took in a sharp breath. Suichen noticed. 

With an obvious swallow, as if not even trying to hide his interest, Wei Wuxian cautiously stepped a little closer. “Sorry…didn’t mean to peek or anything. Here’s some of Lan Zhan’s clothes.”

“Thank you,” Suichen said with a serene smile, approaching and purposefully sliding his fingers down Wei Wuxian’s as he accepted the clothes. 

Wei Wuxian’s eyelashes fluttered a little, and his gaze remained trained on Suichen’s bare chest. “Big Brother…you…have a lot of scars…I didn’t know.”

“Is that so? Wangji has less?” he asked softly, testing his second theory. 

Even though this man didn’t seem the shy type, he blushed and chuckled awkwardly. “Well…technically his came from only two occasions, even though I think he has more discipline whip scars.” Suichen tried to hide his shock that even the highly controlled Wangji in this world had managed to get himself into trouble that required such harsh punishment. “But yours are…all over. It looks painful,” Wei Wuxian murmured somewhat sadly.

Suichen chuckled. “They’re only scars. They don’t hurt anymore. Do they make me ugly?”

Wei Wuxian gasped and quickly shook his head, though his blush increased. “Nothing could make Zewu-jun look ugly! Wait…forget I said that. Or more accurately please don’t tell Lan Zhan I said that. He’s particularly jealous about you for some reason. I think he thinks I’ll realize you’re the better man someday. Ha ha ha.”

Suichen took this in for a moment, allowing Wei Wuxian’s forced laughter to echo in the room and eventually die down with heavy silence. He pulled his trouser cord and let the last of his clothes fall away, so he stood naked. Instead of reaching down to modestly cover himself, he stretched tiredly. He reached up and shook out his hair. Still without reaching for new clothes, he turned to Wei Wuxian.

“Am I?”

“…eh…?”

Suichen smiled affectionately. He crossed over to Wei Wuxian, presenting his naked and well-muscled body for inspection at close proximity. He knew his prey was caught when Wei Wuxian’s eyes traveled slowly down and he noticeably swallowed again. 

“I suddenly felt curious,” Suichen murmured softly, pulling a sheaf of hair from his shoulder and casting it back over his back. “I don’t deny Wangji is a great man. Surely he’s the person I myself admire most in the world. I wonder…what it is I must lack in comparison to him. Can you tell me, Master Wei? Why love seems to evade me?”

Wei Wuxian’s breathing was rough as he blinked up at Suichen, looking helpless. “Oh…you’d better not be asking me this, Zewu-jun…I’ll just tell you nonsense…ha ha…”

“…because you dislike me?”

“No! No, no, no, it’s more of a…liking too much problem…ha…”

Suichen was fascinated by this anomalous young man, who was clearly head and shoulders more interesting than anyone else in this gloomy place. But he had to maintain character, holding back his satisfied grin. 

Instead he forced melancholy longing into his eyes. “Master Wei,” he said softly. “…have you ever kissed anyone, besides Wangji?”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes darted down to Suichen’s lips. His breathing slowed and his pupils noticeably dilated. “I, uh…no comment,” he said with a significantly less heart-filled laugh this time, his eyes unable to tear away from Suichen’s lips.

Suichen gave a soft, sad sigh. “I have never even kissed anyone.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened. He started to look genuinely panicked. “R-…really? But…someone so handsome…isn’t that a crime?!”

“…perhaps I am unlovable.” Sensing it was now or never, Suichen trustingly lowered his head and closed his eyes, with a show of giving up. 

He waited. He could hear Wei Wuxian struggling to control his breathing. His body heat came a little closer. An audible swallow. And then in a soft whisper, “Ok…big secret from Lan Zhan all right?”

Suichen cautiously opened his eyes to see the cute young man standing on his tip toes, closing his eyes as his face approached Suichen’s. A soft, reverent kiss. He held back his grin once again as he confirmed; Wei Wuxian might belong to Lan Wangji, but this was definitely not the first time he had thought about Lan Xichen this way. Suichen savored the innocent kiss until eventually it broke away. 

But before Wei Wuxian could even restore his breath, Suichen returned his kiss, holding his head firmly in place to kiss him deeply and prevent the smallest escape. Panicked moans came one after the other from Wei Wuxian, reverberating deliciously against his lips. He grasped Wei Wuxian’s small and fragile waist, which he realized might be ever smaller than Meng Yao’s, and pressed their bodies tight together. 

“Mngh…mnah!” Wei Wuxian gasped as his lips were finally released. “You…you…you’re not Lan Xichen?!”

Suichen chuckled, but still attempted to stay in character. This new treat was too tasty to let go so easily. “I’m Lan Xichen’s darkest desires,” he whispered against Wei Wuxian’s still roughly breathing lips. “The part of him that had dreamed about taking Lan Wangji’s dearest love, shoving him down and fucking him blind. And I can see in your eyes, Wei Wuxian, I’m not the only one who’s imagined that.”

Wei Wuxian whimpered, but when Suichen kissed him again, was barely able to mount the slightest resistance as his body melted in Suichen’s skillful grasp. Suichen quickly realized, based on Wangji’s personality, that this little plaything of his might not be used to any technique at all. Wangji was a good man, but a simple one, with simple desires. How would his lover react to true skill in bed?

“Tell me,” Suichen whispered insistently in his ear. “When you imagined being with me, how was it different from with Wangji?”

Wei Wuxian let out shivering sighs, his slender body reacting to Suichen’s every soft caress. “I…I…” he began helplessly. And then the desire seemed to finally fill up his eyes, and he looking up longingly at Suichen. “I thought…you’d be a little sweeter…”

Suichen grinned at him. “You were right.”

He clasped Wei Wuxian to his chest, tucking his knees up under one arm, and carried him to the bed in the back of the room. He quickly disrobed the quivering young man and placed reverent kisses down his chest and stomach, allowing his hands to roam freely at the same time, seeking out other pleasure centers. It had been a long time since he had truly given a sexual partner his full and selfless attention this way; this would be a delight.

Regardless of Wei Wuxian’s nervous trembling and flinching, he not only disrobed him completely, but rather than focus on typical erogenous zones, he made sure every inch of Wei Wuxian felt worshiped, while at the same time prolonging the tantalizing teasing as long as possible. He threaded his hands through his fingers and kissed his knuckles, then the insides of his wrists. He stroked his palms and forearms. An affectionate kiss on his cheek. A stroke of his hair. A kiss on his mouth, driving his tongue suddenly deep inside and swallowing repeated moans of desperation.

To his delight, Wei Wuxian’s expression quickly became perfectly submissive and expectant. As expected of one Wangji would choose. He returned his attentions to the slender body beneath him, running his fingertips down his chest and stomach, and watching for his reactions. He performed the same action again, savoring Wei Wuxian’s twitching and moaning just from this light touching. He swirled the tip of his finger around one nipple, and then the other, and finally sucked down on one. When Wei Wuxian yelped, he leaned in instead of retreating, urging an even more desperate noise from him. 

Over and over he would find a sensitive spot on this fragile body and softly tease it, then passionately caress it, but would pull back just as Wei Wuxian’s pleasure was reaching its peak. He made a point of touching every inch of Wei Wuxian’s skin but the important parts, finally reaching his feet. Wei Wuxian’s reactions were strongest and also most panicked here. Wangji had apparently never teased him here. Suichen had to swallow repeatedly to keep from drooling with desire. 

After noting the struggling Wei Wuxian’s reactions to each area of his feet being touched, Suichen finally gave in to his own desire to caress them with his lips and tongue. Even though Wei Wuxian cried out repeatedly with halfhearted denials, his cock was twitching and dripping onto his own stomach as he writhed under Suichen’s skillful caresses. 

“Ahhh!” he cried finally in desperation. “Please…I can’t anymore…!”

“Can’t what?” Suichen asked softly, his tongue still in between two of Wei Wuxian’s toes.

“Ngh! Can’t…wait…anymore!” Wei Wuxian whimpered, hiding his face in his hands. “Please…!”

Suichen’s spine tingled. He smiled sweetly down at him. “You asked so well. Who could refuse such a good boy?”

Wei Wuxian looked up in a mild panic as Suichen coated his cock in oil and then lined up his outside his entrance. “Oh…uh-oh…if you put it in now…I’m…going to…”

Suichen thrust inside him. Wei Wuxian screamed. And as his tender, beautiful body jolted and spasmed under Suichen’s grasp, a high arc of cum shot from his cock, painting across his own chest and even leaving a mischievous drop on his chin. He only let out strangled noises for some time, unable to move. Suichen had to fight not to cum from the way he was clenching so well around him. Truly, he was wasted on someone like Wangji.

He waited for some of the tension to ease from Wei Wuxian’s body, but before his breath had fully restored, he pulled out and thrust hard inside him again. 

“Eeheh!” Wei Wuxian yelped nonsensically. But afterward his tongue lolled out his mouth and his face took on a blank and vaguely pleased expression. Suichen smirked. How delightful.

“Is my cock that good?” he asked, lazily dragging his length out and thrusting in once again. 

“Ngh! Good…” Wei Wuxian moaned.

“I bet. It’s bigger than Wangji’s. Can get to where he can’t. Like…” He used both hands to pick up Wei Wuxian by his narrow waist so he could completely control the angle. “Here.” With a grin, he slowly pushed into a place that no doubt Wei Wuxian was not even aware existed.

Wei Wuxian was only breathing in small gasps, his eyes wide and trembling fingers clinging to Suichen’s arms. After a moment of feeling a cock deeper than he had ever imagined, he let out a desperate sound, which tapered into a honeyed moan. His eyes fluttered and then rolled back and he was reduced to trembling in confused pleasure. 

Suichen shivered at how cute his reactions were. Meng Yao was now well used to Suichen reaching so far inside him, he simply enjoyed it. But Wei Wuxian’s innocent reactions reminded him of the first time, when Meng Yao had passed out from shock in the middle. That memory caused Suichen’s cock to grow even harder inside Wei Wuxian, testing his new boundaries even further. 

“Nnnnghuh…” Wei Wuxian whimpered helplessly, his fingers toying at Suichen’s chest as if asking for help. But his twitching cock on his own stomach assured Suichen that what he was feeling was fear from too much pleasure.

“I’m so deep inside you,” Suichen murmured sweetly, bringing the flat of his hand to rest over Wei Wuxian’s lower belly, stimulating his twitching cock at the same time. “I don’t even need to move. I can use you just like this…”

He gently pressed down with his hand, and up with his cock at the same time. 

“Ahhhhh…aha…ah!” Wei Wuxian screamed, his back arching and his hands weakly flopping back as if finally submitting to Suichen completely. He remained in this desperate state as Suichen gently massaged Wei Wuxian’s lower belly just a few times, indeed feeling the pressure of his own cock deep inside. 

Wei Wuxian’s voice suddenly stopped. His cock jolted almost violently and coated the back of Suichen’s hand in dilute cum, even though only moments had passed since he had cum the first time. His eyes rolled back and his head fell limply to one side. Suichen smiled softly and finally relented, releasing his stomach. 

He leaned down over him, examining the dull look in his barely conscious eyes, and bestowed him with an affectionate kiss on the cheek. “I’d best be wary of breaking Wangji’s toy. Him, I might be able to handle. But I have myself to deal with in this world too. Too bad.” He kissed Wei Wuxian’s cheek once more. “Just let me use you a little more, and I’ll let you go, little bunny.”

Wei Wuxian was still too delirious to respond as Suichen took hold of his hips and shifted his whole body back and forth over his cock like a toy. Somehow, Wei Wuxian’s own cock was still hard even after his conscious mind had deserted him. What a treasure Wangji had found. Suichen closed his eyes for a moment to savor the refreshing sensations but then realized Wei Wuxian was coming back to his senses a little and wanted to be sure to watch. 

“Nh…mnh…nhah…” Wei Wuxian mumbled weakly, at first seeming like one dreaming. Gradually his cries grew louder, but still unintelligible in their meaning. He still only moved limply as Suichen used him. 

Suichen took great pleasure in yanking him back and forth by his narrow hips. He only regretted that he could not take more time with him, seeing which position showed off his body to best advantage. But there would definitely be someone coming in here to check on him soon, and Suichen was determined that what they would find would only be a cum-filled, lecherous and exhausted plaything of Lan Wangji. Getting another burst of pleasure at imagining Wangji’s face when he found him, he threw back his head with a sigh and squeezed the pleasantly small hips as he pumped him full of cum. 

Wei Wuxian only twitched a little more but was otherwise barely responsive. His eyes looked heavy and he kept blinking to try to restore some sanity. Suichen sighed reluctantly as he pulled out of him and stood. 

He used his old clothes to wipe himself down and then dressed in Lan Wangji’s clothes, smirking to himself about the mischief he could cause if only he could obtain one of those white forehead ribbons. “Thanks for the fun,” he said over his shoulder at the trembling and delirious meal he had just left. Wei Wuxian only barely managed a mumbled response.

…

Only minutes later, when Lan Wangji came to check on the status of the visitor, he found a scene of utter chaos, including a ruined bookcase, discarded clothes of black and purple, and his own husband lying in post-coital bliss on a bed in the back. His hand as it gripped Bichen shook with a kind of anger he had not felt since he was a very young teenager. 

Wei Wuxian was sighing to himself, gazing up at the ceiling and swinging his leg from the bed absently when he caught sight of him and bolted upright. “Uh…Lan Zhan! I can explain!”

“…yes?” Wangji growled, with an expression like the apocalypse had come. 

“Well…here it is. Ha ha. Listen, have you ever met your brother?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	17. Best Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wangji seeks to teach Wei Wuxian a lesson about who he is permitted to sleep with, with the help of Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who don’t do incest kinks: best to skip this chapter. 😉  
> To those who’ve been waiting: please enjoy a Jadecest foursome. ❤️

Moments before finding Wei Wuxian in his compromising state, Lan Wangji finished his evening duties and had intended to check on the Cloud Recesses’ newest interloper. On his way there, he spotted a frightening sight. Lan Xichen lying on the ground, holding a head wound. He raced toward him and knelt beside him.

“Xiong-zhang!”

Xichen blinked up at him through eyes slightly watery with pain. When he recognized Wangji, he looked down again in shame. “Wangji…I feel so foolish. He took it…”

Wangji fought the urge to clench his jaw in frustration that his brother had not listened to him and locked up that fake Xichen properly to start with. Instead he asked worriedly, “Took what?”

Xichen sighed. Reluctantly, he lowered his hand from his head. It made even more obvious the slight worry Wangji had felt since he first saw him like this: Xichen was missing his forehead ribbon. 

Wangji took in a breath of shock, feeling almost physically wounded himself, just by the sight. Not only to simply have it touched, but to have one’s forehead ribbon stolen by a corrupt version of oneself, it was like having one’s entire existence, everything one held sacred, mocked and humiliated. 

“Are you badly hurt?” Wangji asked softly.

Xichen shook his head. “Don’t concern yourself. Wangji…listen. He is dressed like me now…we have to warn people. We must go after him before he gets away, or tricks someone.”

Wangji sighed, halfheartedly getting to his feet to look and listen for any signs in the immediate area. But he didn’t expect to find any. Xichen in this universe was someone who managed to evade the entire Wen army, while protecting half a library’s worth of books. A duplicitous and evil person with the same abilities must be even better at subterfuge. Wangji soon knelt down again beside his brother.

“Let me help you first,” Wangji murmured, offering him a hand to help him up.

Xichen at first seemed surprised Wangji would give up, but in shame he looked to the ground again. The one who knew Wangji best would of course be aware of when he was omitting things out of politeness rather than his usual terseness. Out of respect for his brother, and not wanting to hurt his feelings, Wangji was holding back from saying that once he was out of sight, there was likely no way to track Lan Suichen.

“Forgive my incompetence,” Xichen murmured meekly, accepting Wangji’s hand. 

The two began to walk toward the Cold Chamber, but after only a few steps, Xichen’s foot wobbled and he nearly crumpled to the ground. Wangji caught him and held him up. 

“Xiong-zhang…!”

Xichen looked mortified, but when he tried to stand on his own again, he could not. His long eyelashes fluttered in anguish as he bit his lip. “Wangji…I’m so sorry…he gave me something…”

“…what do you mean?” Wangji asked, his worry only growing. He had never seen his brother looking so helpless, not even after Jin Guangyao’s death. 

Xichen’s breath began to come in pants. Leaning against Wangji, he whispered softly, “I think…he drugged me.”

Wangji’s anger boiled up inside him until he could barely think. “I’ll kill him,” he muttered, trying to part from his brother in order to search every corner of Gusu until the malcontent was found.

“Wangji, wait…help me…” Xichen gasped, clinging to him. In a whimper that Wangji didn’t even know he brother was capable of making, he whispered, “…please…”

Wangji closed his eyes to control his anger, and obediently held his brother close to comfort him. In the normal course of things, the Lan family did not express much physical affection. Xichen had held him before when he was younger, but Wangji had never hugged his brother before. Somehow, although it was achingly pleasant, and though he knew he had more important concerns at this moment, it made him nervous. 

Xichen’s powerful arms and elegant-yet-deadly fingers, which had once half killed Wangji in an attempt to drag him back from the Burial Mounds, held his back with a trembling grasp. His low, husky voice shuddered with each breath into Wangji’s ear. Though he was mortified by the whole idea, the more Xichen clung to him, the more Wangji’s body felt hot. He started to feel he should do something, either hold him tighter or take him somewhere, but he swallowed with fear as he realized one of the things he was thinking of doing was definitely wrong.

Xichen seemed to try to take in a steadying breath, but soon he seemed to relax a little. The next thing Wangji knew, he was inhaling deeply of Wangji’s neck, nuzzling him softly there as his grasp on his back became a sensuous one. Wangji gasped, halfheartedly pushing him back.

“Xiong-zhang…” he murmured in panic and confusion at this behavior. 

“Wangji,” Xichen whispered, so close Wangji could swear he felt his lips brush his ear. Wangji jolted and nearly tore Xichen’s clothes by gripping them suddenly in surprise. “Help me…?” Xichen whimpered, even more meekly this time, yet with desire dripping in his soft syllables.

Wangji panted helplessly, feeling both unthinkable desires and crushing guilt surging through him. He was about to beg Xichen to stop, fearing he could not do so himself, when he took in a breath and almost instantly felt sick to his stomach. 

With the closer angle, he could not help but smell Xichen’s skin. The scent he gave off, though distinctly familiar, carried not sandalwood…but cinnamon. 

Wangji’s whole body froze as his anger reached its peak. He whipped up a hand, intending to grab the imposter by the throat. That same wrist was caught by an even faster one, and the next thing he knew, Wangji was turned around to face the other way, wincing in pain from having his wrist twisted behind his back.

The fake Xichen clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “What a shame. I had just about rationalized it to myself that it wouldn’t quite be incest, since we’re from different worlds. I was looking forward to enjoying myself.”

Wangji managed to wrench his neck back to look at Lan Suichen with one, rage-filled eye from his awkward position. 

Suichen grinned and shivered a little. “That’s more like it. I adore that bloodthirsty face of yours. Actually, yours may be even more wolfish than the one in my world. But are you sure, A-Zhan? Are you sure you want to be so defiant toward me? Even if you could overpower me, could you do so in time to help that sweet little rabbit I ravaged before coming out here?”

Wangji felt as if the whole world tilted. It couldn’t be. Wei Ying…

“You…” he hissed, slowly and soundlessly sliding Bichen from its sheath. 

“Don’t worry. He’s fine…for now. Better hurry, though,” Suichen told him almost gleefully. 

The next moment, as Wangji felt his wrist released, he grasped Bichen and swung wildly behind him. The wind of his sword sliced cleanly through a lantern stand, but there was nothing else in sight when he turned. Panting, he whirled in the other direction and ran inside the meditation room where Suichen should have been. 

There was chaos inside, a shattered bookcase, specs of blood and disordered piles of clothing. And then he saw what had actually become of Wei Wuxian. 

Hardly in mortal danger as Suichen had implied, the precocious young man was still so suffused in post-coital bliss that he didn’t even seem to have heard Wangji come in. He was draped over the bed in the back of the room, completely naked and looking rather pleased with himself. And because it had come from being falsely made to worry that his greatest fear had yet again come to pass, Wangji’s anger was far beyond anything he had felt in his adult life. 

Wei Wuxian finally noticed him and sat up with a gasp. “L-…Lan Zhan! I can explain!”

“…yes…?” Wangji growled, highly doubting that.

“Well…heh…here’s the thing. Have you met your brother?”

Wei Wuxian had apparently either not realized the person who did this to him was not Lan Xichen, or else he was simply referring to Lan Xichen’s irresistible handsomeness. As if that were somehow an excuse. But with that thought, Wangji was forced to remember how his own feelings had been swayed by the exact same person just moments before. His anger faded, just a little.

“…why?” he asked darkly, slowly and menacingly approaching his naked and defenseless husband. “Have you decided you married the wrong one?”

“Of course not! It’s not like that, Lan Zhan, you know me!”

Wangji sighed. “Yes. I do.”

Wei Wuxian flinched as he realized what Wangji must be thinking of. With an awkward laugh, he meekly tried to equivocate, “Now…I told you that time with Wen Ning was just a one-time thing! You were busy! I was lonely, what could I do?”

“Suffer.”

“Eh…?”

Slowly, Lan Wangji raised a hand to his forehead and removed his ribbon. Even though he cowered with fear, Wei Wuxian’s eyes lit up and he swallowed with anticipation. 

“You have erred. Accept your punishment.”

“L-Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian murmured weakly. 

Quick as a flash, Wangji bound his husband’s wrists together with his forehead ribbon. Just as he had finished doing this, and as Wei Wuxian was beginning to struggle – though clearly partly in enjoyment at the thought of punishment play – there was a voice from the doorway.

“Wangji…?”

Wangji glanced up at the sound of his brother’s voice, fearing for a moment that it was the wrong one. But when Lan Xichen entered the room, he had his forehead ribbon, he was uninjured, and Jiang Wanyin was at his side. Wangji let out a breath of relief.

“Some of the disciples said they saw you cut down a lantern stand. What…” Lan Xichen abruptly stopped speaking at the sight of a naked Wei Wuxian with Wangji’s forehead ribbon around his wrists, Wangji still holding both. Xichen quickly looked away with a blush extending up to his ears. “I-I’m sorry…”

“You…!” Jiang Cheng gasped at the same sight. “You…why can’t you do that in your own room?!”

“Heh…well, things happen…” Wei Wuxian murmured halfheartedly.

“Xiong-zhang,” Wangji said. “You’re not injured?”

“I…no, why-“ Xichen glanced at the discarded clothes on the floor and his jaw tightened. “Lan Suichen. He escaped. He must have broken free from my talisman…” Xichen covered his eyes with his hand. “I have failed to stop him at every turn. I can’t even think of an appropriate recompense for my incompetence.”

“Oh…” Wei Wuxian murmured, guiltily. “That…you may be off the hook for, Zewu-jun.”

Wangji closed his eyes in unsurprised irritation. “You?” he asked softly.

Wei Wuxian shifted uncomfortably under their collective gazes, subtly trying to pull out of Wangji’s grasp but unable to budge his fingers an inch. “In my defense, they look exactly alike! What would you do if you saw your big brother collapsed with a talisman on his head?!”

Even as Wangji was reluctantly forced to admit he would likely have done the same, the other two seemed utterly fed up with Wei Wuxian’s antics, to varying degrees of openness with their feelings. But as Wangji glanced at them, he saw Xichen’s robe was parted a little more than usual, and a small red mark was visible on his chest. He glanced toward Jiang Cheng in turn, on whose neck he spotted a similar but even darker mark. He took this in for a moment before bowing slightly to his brother.

“Xiong-zhang. Congratulations.”

“Hm?” Xichen blinked at him, clearly not knowing what he meant. But he followed the slight flick of Wangji’s eyes toward Jiang Cheng’s neck, and suddenly flushed even more than before. He instinctively clasped Jiang Cheng by his shoulders, shielding him from view. “I…it’s not…” he stammered helplessly.

But Jiang Cheng as he glanced up at him looked somewhat hurt. “Isn’t it?”

Xichen’s face softened, even as his hold on Jiang Cheng’s shoulders tightened. “Forgive me,” he said gently. “I wasn’t sure whether you would want anyone to know. I thought…you might be ashamed.”

Jiang Cheng took in a breath in thought. But at the end of it, he surprised all three of the others by warmly touching Xichen’s wrist with a subdued expression. “There’s a difference between ‘embarrassed’ and ‘ashamed.’ No one would be ashamed to be called yours.”

“Wanyin…” Xichen whispered, and gathered the smaller man into his arms. 

Afterward, the two brothers and Jiang Wanyin exchanged details of their respective encounters with Lan Suichen as they attempted to decide what to do about him. They all ignored Wei Wuxian’s frequent interjections complaining of cold and his wrists hurting while they discussed the matter, even as he childishly kicked and headbutted Lan Wangji to get his attention. 

“And…that’s when Xichen arrived. It was satisfying to hear Shuoyue’s hilt crack into his skull. Scumbag,” Jiang Cheng concluded, glancing bitterly at the dark clothes on the ground. 

Xichen sighed, but Wangji noticed he unconsciously held Jiang Cheng’s hand as if to reassure both of them. “I will make certain he sees justice this time.”

Wangji nodded. He finally turned down to look at his pitiful husband, whose pleas always had the effect of making him seem even more adorable. “Your punishment remains as well,” Wangji told him, attempting to hide the amusement in his own voice.

“Isn’t this enough?” Wei Wuxian whined. “Both our brothers have seen me naked now! It’s humiliating!”

Wangji sighed. “For someone as shameless as you, that does not count as punishment.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, folding his arms. “Exactly,” he agreed. “There’s only one thing that he gets touchy about, and that’s his toys being played with by someone else. Nothing else bothers that thick-faced bastard.”

Wangji blinked at this realization. He turned to his brother and the one who was clearly now his lover, wheels softly turning in his mind. Without a word, he took the ends of his forehead ribbon and tied them securely to the latticework on the bed frame so Wei Wuxian was on a relatively short tether there. 

“Huh…eh? Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan, what is this?! Why are you leaving me here?!” Wei Wuxian demanded as he left. 

Wangji approached his brother and bowed deeply. “Xiong-zhang,” he said respectfully. “Would you do me the honor of assisting in my husband’s punishment?”

Xichen sighed softly, but clearly was even more annoyed with Wei Wuxian than Wangji was. “Whatever you think is appropriate.” But then he blinked abruptly as he started to realize where the conversation was heading. “W-well…within reason. What…exactly did you have in mind?”

Wangji’s eyes flicked toward Jiang Cheng, who recoiled slightly from his gaze. “Perhaps we can punish my lover and reward yours at the same time.”

Xichen gasped and worriedly gauged Jiang Cheng’s expression, but Wangji felt a slight flutter in his chest as Xichen blushed and did not immediately object. 

Jiang Cheng glanced between the two of them with gathering nervousness. He seemed especially intimidated by Wangji. He even reflexively took a step backward. “What…are you thinking about?” he murmured, his own cheeks gaining a hint of color.

Wangji turned back to Xichen and murmured softly, “Only what you would both enjoy.”

Xichen took in a shivering gasp and turned in toward Wangji as if seeking comfort. “Wangji…” he murmured softly, uncertain. 

Yet as the two brothers stood this way, clearly so intimate and trusting of each other, the other two in the room looked on with fascination. “Oh fuck,” Wei Wuxian muttered, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. “That’s hot…ngh, Lan Zhan! I can’t even touch myself like this! You wouldn’t really do this just to spite me, would you?! This is torture!”

“Hn,” Jiang Cheng scoffed bitterly. “Serves you right.”

Both Lan brothers glanced toward him curiously at his apparent agreement. “Wanyin…” Xichen said softly, cautiously. “…does this mean you’re not opposed?”

“Eh? I…I don’t…”

Xichen glanced toward his brother again with a softening of his expression. “I have no desire to share you…but Wangji is special. You’ve looked at him that way before too, haven’t you?”

While Jiang Cheng was still floundering, struggling to voice a response, Wei Wuxian angrily kicked his legs into the bed. “You can’t be serious! Lan Zhan, I told you in confidence that fantasy I had about being held by both Jades of Lan, didn’t I?! I wouldn’t have told you if I knew you’d just give it to someone else! I’m your husband, you can’t be so cruel to me!”

Jiang Cheng began to flush as Lan Wangji came to stand on one side of him, with Lan Xichen on the other. Wei Wuxian’s frustration actually seemed to be exciting him just as much, if not more, as the prospect of being the center of the Lan brothers’ attention. 

“Wanyin?” Xichen asked, even more softly and intimately than before. He raised a hand to caress Jiang Cheng’s cheek, causing the younger man’s eyes to flutter and his head to lean in slightly toward him. “It is your choice. Would you like Wangji to touch you?”

Jiang Cheng was panting roughly. “Xichen…you looked like you wanted to kill your darker self earlier for the same thing. You’re not angry?”

Xichen smiled, glancing up toward Wangji with warmth and affection. He shook his head. “I love my brother many times more than I love myself, even at my best. He’s the only one who rivals with you in my affection.”

Wangji’s chest ached badly at his beloved brother’s kind words, a skill which he could never reciprocate. Instead, he ducked in close and brushed his lips against his brother-in-law’s cheek. Jiang Cheng shuddered, his eyes fluttering closed in a refreshingly shy expression that Wei Wuxian would rarely show. With the thought that Jiang Cheng was one of the only people in the world his husband truly cared about as well, he leaned in closer and stole a kiss from him.

“Mmmh!” Jiang Cheng cried in distress, but quickly his body melted against Wangji. When Wangji released him, Xichen had to hold him steady as he swayed. But then Xichen made his problem worse by turning his face up and capturing his lips in an even deeper kiss. 

“Nnnh, it’s not fair…” Wei Wuxian mumbled, though by now his hips were shifting with more excitement than frustration as he watched. “Why is it okay for him but not for me?!”

While helping his brother to hold the unsteady Jiang Cheng, Wangji flicked his gaze up to his struggling husband, having to hold back his own desire to untie him and bring him into their embrace. “You are being punished for indulging without my permission,” Wangji told him. “Jiang Wanyin is being rewarded for doing the opposite.”

“Ah…!” Jiang Cheng gasped as Xichen slid his tongue inside his ear. 

As Xichen slipped a lascivious hand inside Jiang Cheng’s robes, gently caressing his chest while taking soft bites from his ear and neck, Wangji unceremoniously removed Jiang Cheng’s belt and parted his clothing in the front. As Jiang Cheng gasped in shock, and Xichen watched curiously, Wangji knelt before his husband’s brother. He opened his mouth, about to indulge in his favorite kind of foreplay, when he glanced behind him. 

Wei Wuxian was watching with eyes darkened by pleasure. He shifted impatiently, lecherously biting his lip as if tempting Wangji to come and release him. Wangji realized his head would obscure the view from this angle so, in order to tease his husband to distraction, he turned both his and Jiang Cheng’s bodies a few degrees so Wei Wuxian could see the moment Jiang Cheng’s cock was swallowed inside Wangji’s mouth. 

The moment that he slid completely inside, Jiang Cheng yelped and the strength left his legs completely. Xichen grasped him around his chest from behind, while Wangji wrapped both arms around his legs to support him, at the same time deepening the angle of Jiang Cheng’s cock sliding down his throat. Jiang Cheng quickly became a mess, barely able to react but for twitching and moaning, supported completely between the Twin Jades of Lan.

Wei Wuxian swallowed heavily as he watched from the bed. “Jiang Cheng…how does it feel?”

Jiang Cheng only whimpered, unable to articulate anything due to equal parts pleasure and embarrassment. Xichen seemed unable to resist this expression on his beloved and lovingly tilted Jiang Cheng’s head back against his shoulder to drown him in kisses. The moment Xichen’s lips met his, Jiang Cheng let out a high-pitched moan and his stomach muscles tensed. 

Wangji closed his eyes as the unfamiliar cock jolted inside his throat and made him cough slightly on instinct. He drew Jiang Cheng’s cock from his mouth and stroked it while resting the tip on his tongue. Jiang Cheng clearly could not handle this and cried out as he came into Lan Wangji’s mouth. 

The bitter taste was not Wangji’s favorite, even when it was Wei Wuxian’s. But at the same time, he did not want to sully the floor any further by spitting it out. It occurred to him that in the normal course of things this should be Xichen’s responsibility. With a slight reddening of the tips of his ears, Wangji got to his feet. He met his brother’s kind eyes and then glanced down suggestively at his lips. Xichen swallowed, uncertain but clearly following Wangji’s thought processes.

Wangji leaned in and tugged lightly on Xichen’s chin to encourage him to open his mouth. As Xichen gasped in disbelief at what he was doing, and Wangji’s own heart fluttered even as his cock began to ache, he pressed his lips softly to Xichen’s as he slid his tongue inside his mouth and dripped Jiang Cheng’s cum onto his brother's tongue.

After a soft noise of distress, Xichen’s tongue hesitantly brushed against Wangji’s, tasting the cum he gave him. Within moments, Xichen moaned and his own knees seemed to grow weak, even as he was still holding up Jiang Cheng. 

“Ngh…Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian whimpered. “Please…you’re so hot it’s unfair, I almost came from that…please touch me…!”

Wangji took his time in drawing his tongue from his brother’s mouth, savoring the look of confused pleasure on Xichen’s face as soon as they parted. He still held his cheek as he turned to look at his struggling husband. 

“Allowing you to watch is already a mercy,” Wangji said, though he couldn’t help a small upward curve of his lips. 

“Bully!” Wei Wuxian pronounced, but Wangji was certain there was delight flickering in his eyes. Wangji knew he was about to start biting at the forehead ribbon to remove it, but he ignored him from that point to concentrate on this innocent elder couple.

He took Jiang Cheng from Xichen’s slightly trembling arms and wordlessly grasped him under his knees, lifting him up in a humiliating position. “L-…Lan Wangji!” Jiang Cheng gasped in clear embarrassment. 

Softly, Wangji whispered in his ear, “Wei Wuxian has told me that this position feels the most deeply connected.” Jiang Cheng took in a gasping breath, trembling in Wangji’s arms, but the worry in his expression quickly fading in favor of lust for the one whispering in his ear. “The tightness and the angle in this position leave nowhere to run, he says,” Wangji whispered. “You can feel me against your back as well, can’t you?”

Jiang Cheng whimpered and covered his reddened face with his hand, but his cock was visibly twitching in front of him, even though he had just cum. Wangji met his brother’s eyes and nodded. Xichen shuddered blissfully as he watched all of this take place, and then knelt as Wangji had done. To even Wangji’s surprise, what he did there was to lift both Jiang Cheng’s buttocks in his hands, and insert his tongue gently inside him. 

“Ahhh!” Jiang Cheng moaned, twitching desperately in Wangji’s grasp. “You can’t…it’s dirty…Xichen!”

Xichen briefly removed his tongue to reassure him, “We made love so recently. I think it’s still clean.”

“…shameless…!” Jiang Cheng whimpered helplessly, but his objections did grow weaker after that. 

When he was satisfied that Jiang Cheng was ready, Xichen got to his feet and shrugged off his clothing. All three others in the room were briefly entranced by his perfection. But he only had eyes for Jiang Cheng as he lightly caressed his face before leaning in and kissing him sweetly and at great length. He trusted Wangji completely to easily hold Jiang Cheng’s weight all day if necessary, and concentrated on indulging in his lover’s shy lips. 

Slowly, Xichen pressed his tip against Jiang Cheng’s entrance, their hips perfectly lined up by Wangji’s hold. As Jiang Cheng let out loud whimpers, he gradually pushed inside him. Once inside, both men let out sweet gasps. 

Jiang Cheng appeared to be growing tired already, his head tilting off to one side against Wangji’s shoulder as he panted. Wangji opened his mouth against his neck and bit down into his skin. Jiang Cheng cried out and seemed to tighten around Xichen, judging from the pained pleasure flashing across his brother’s face. When Wangji moved up to tease the inside of his ear with his tongue, Jiang Cheng rather cutely leaned into the caresses of his tongue even while gasping and clinging to Xichen.

Xichen seemed unable to stand his erotic reactions, and seemed to almost entirely forget Wangji’s presence as he leaned in to kiss Jiang Cheng passionately while thrusting inside him. Or so Wangji thought, until his brother’s hands wrapped around his waist to encourage both him and Jiang Cheng even closer. 

Wangji let his eyes flutter closed as he reflexively thrust against Jiang Cheng’s back in time with Xichen thrusting inside him. It felt euphoric to be so connected to his own brother, Wei Wuxian’s brother, and the dearest one in Xichen’s heart. Against his own will, he was starting to find Jiang Cheng’s innocent reactions quite adorable as well. Even though Xichen was keeping him plenty busy, Wangji couldn’t stop himself from biting down repeatedly into the skin of Jiang Cheng’s neck as he imagined what Xichen must be feeling inside him right now.

“Wanyin…Wanyin…” Xichen whispered repeatedly against Jiang Cheng’s lips, captivated by how much he was clearly enjoying being held by both of them. 

“Ah….ah…ngh…A-Huan…”

Xichen gasped at suddenly hearing his given name from his lover’s lips. He kissed him hungrily as he moaned and burst inside him. 

“Ohh, bold of you, Jiang Cheng,” came a familiar voice from much closer than it had been before.

Though Jiang Cheng gasped to see that Wei Wuxian had already gotten free and approached them, Xichen was still trembling as he came, and Wangji was not in the least surprised. Even though he was still supposed to be mad, he obediently leaned down to give his husband a soft kiss as he stood on his toes beside him. 

“Mm,” Wei Wuxian moaned sweetly against Wangji’s mouth. Wangji was already hungry for him, but Wei Ying instead hooked his finger in Jiang Cheng’s remaining loosely draped outer robe and tugged cutely a few times. “Give me this one. You take that one,” he said, flicking his eyes back toward the still shivering Xichen. 

Wangji sighed. “All right.”

Wangji lifted Jiang Cheng slightly to extricate him from Xichen’s cock. As it left, both men moaned helplessly. Wangji gingerly lowered Jiang Cheng’s feet to the floor and allowed Wei Wuxian to pull him down to his back. There he shamelessly mounted his hips and stretched his fingers across his chest. Wangji meanwhile carefully wrapped his arms around his still trembling brother, comforting him though his lingering orgasm. And they both watched as Wei Wuxian proved his reputation once again.

He giggled as he moved his hips lasciviously against Jiang Cheng’s, causing the older man to yelp. “Jiang Cheng…you’re a virgin, aren’t you?”

“Ah?!” Jiang Cheng demanded. “What exactly do you think we’ve just been doing?”

“I mean here,” Wei Wuxian said, suddenly grasping Jiang Cheng by his most sensitive area. Jiang Cheng hissed in mixed shame and pleasure. “You’ve never done anyone else, have you?”

Jiang Cheng tossed his head away angrily, biting his lip. “…none of your business…” he grumbled eventually.

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Lucky you. Your first time will be with the great Yiling Patriach, Wei Wuxian.” He licked his own fingers and moistened Jiang Cheng’s cock with them, making him jump. “Come on, Jiang Cheng. Work out a little frustration. Show me what you got.”

With that, he sank his well-stretched hole down around Jiang Cheng’s cock. Both men threw back their heads in shock at the pleasure. Wei Wuxian laughed a little oddly as he twitched and hesitantly gyrated his hips into his brother’s. 

“This is…ahah…hotter than Lan Zhan’s…uh-oh…didn’t expect this…” Wei Wuxian babbled softly as he grew more and more undone even by his own movements. 

Jiang Cheng watched him with gathering frustration as he panted through the undeniable pleasure of Wei Wuxian’s erotic actions and his tight, dripping hole. Lan Wangji was quite jealous watching this, thinking it was a waste not to throw down the trouble-maker and make him feel it even more when he was so turned on like this. Almost as if his thoughts had reached him, Jiang Cheng soon growled and pushed Wei Wuxian back onto the floor. 

Wei Wuxian only had time to softly gasp before Jiang Cheng started pounding him roughly into the floor. He wailed and clung to his brother as he was ravaged for the second time today by someone other than Lan Wangji. Wangji was finding it hard to hold back from giving it to him the way that really made him scream. But he was also enamored of the trembling form within his arms, who currently needed his attention much more.

Xichen seemed to be growing excited all over again just from watching them, and was moving impatiently in Wangji’s arms. Wangji willingly bent his neck down to tease his brother’s nape with his teeth and tongue. 

“Ah…Wangji!” Xichen gasped in a harsh whisper, his fingers digging into Wangji’s shoulders and only further exciting him. He seemed to be having trouble standing anyway, so he allowed Wangji to guide him down onto the floor and even push him down onto his back, all the while kissing, licking, biting and sucking on his neck. 

As they were both entranced by Jiang Cheng’s ravaging of Wei Wuxian, both their slightly higher voices sending shivers down the two Lan brothers’ backs, Wangji thoroughly moistened two fingers in his own mouth, then reached down with them and began teasing his brother’s hole. 

Xichen gasped but his eyes closed blissfully at this unexpected sensation. He worriedly glanced between Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji, not certain where his attention should be. But Wangji soon solved the problem for him by capturing his mouth in repeated, intense kisses. 

Xichen moaned and wrapped his arms around Wangji’s neck, even as his fingers’ movements became more enthusiastic inside him. “Wangji…ah! Wangji…” he gasped helplessly against his lips. 

Beside them, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian both let out lingering cries as they trembled against one another. “Ah! Jiang Cheng!” Wei Wuxian gasped. “It’s so hot…you’re so hot inside me…I’m still cumming…ngh!”

Jiang Cheng breathed harshly as he let out everything left inside him as Wei Wuxian undoubtedly twitched tantalizingly around him. He soon went limp and collapsed on top of his brother, breathless. Wei Wuxian willingly held him close and had a soft and almost sad smile as he stroked Jiang Cheng’s back comfortingly. 

Xichen seemed to be watching this scene with longing as Wangji finally decided he was more or less ready. So when Wangji traded his fingers for his cock, Xichen was unprepared. 

“Ahhh!” he cried, arching his back. 

Wangji was in awe of the sexiness of his brother’s tensed body as he took in desperate breaths and kept his back arched in shocked pleasure beneath him. Wangji lovingly leaned down and teased each of Xichen’s nipples with his mouth. 

This only forced yet more shocked and desperate moans from Lan Xichen, who seemed unsure whether to cling to Wangji or lie back against the floor and let the intense sensations roll over him. Wangji made his struggle even worse by alternating between giving him kisses against his lips and ones against his clearly sensitive neck. 

Yet as good as this felt for both of them, Wangji’s endurance and the fact that Xichen had already cum meant that they were both able to maintain the pleasure and this posture until it was almost painful. Xichen’s voice became increasingly sweet as he got used to the feeling, but then grew higher in desperation once again as the unstoppable pleasure grew more and more. 

“Wangji…!” he cried.

As a habit from giving Wei Wuxian exactly what he wanted during sex, as he sensed Xichen’s orgasm approaching, he both increased the pace of his own hips to drive his own and trapped Xichen’s lips in a deep kiss. He shuddered with bliss as Xichen’s low, husky voice resounded inside his own mouth as his hole clamped down and he seemed to milk Wangji of every drop of cum. 

Wangji gradually slowed his pace as he and Xichen both trembled through their nearly simultaneous orgasm. Their intense kiss also slowly softened into a mutually reassuring one. Their arms tightened around one another as they came down from the sensation with gentle caresses. 

They did not realize the other two, lying exhausted beside them, were watching with fascination. But as Wangji wordlessly turned Xichen over onto his hands and knees and thrust inside him once again, Wangji heard Wei Wuxian giggle and comment idly to Jiang Cheng, “See, this is much better. They’ll both be even hotter and yet half as persistent. Shouldn’t we do it together all the time?”

Jiang Cheng rounded a glare at him, but his expression quickly softened again at the desperate moans of Lan Xichen as Wangji bit down on the back of his neck while fucking him. Jiang Cheng’s gaze lowered momentarily.

“Don’t think just because it worked out this time that you can keep sleeping around,” he grunted.

Wei Wuxian grinned at him. “Now I won’t want to.” He placed a kiss on Jiang Cheng’s cheek, further frustrating his easily irritated brother and simultaneously causing all three others to wonder if he had learned anything at all from this “punishment.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	18. The Music Professor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wei Wuxian isn't very excited about a music theory class until he sets his eyes on his teacher. Though stiff and completely lacking interest in him, he realizes Lan Wangji has a secret, which ends up forming a bond between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Lan Xichen’s stage name in this universe is Peili 沛莉, “abundant jasmine,” an homage to Zewu 泽芜, “overgrowth of weeds.”

Wei Wuxian greeted Jiang Cheng in class that day with a far too detailed look at the inside of his mouth as he yawned widely. Jiang Cheng stood over him with a disgusted look, considering whether or not to actually sit down next to him. 

“Ngyaah…ah, Jiang Cheng,” said Wei Wuxian as he finished his yawn. “Morning.”

Jiang Cheng scowled at him, but after a quick look around he concluded he really didn’t know anyone else in this lecture. He sighed and sat down next to him, opening his bag and pulling out a notebook. 

“It’s 11,” Jiang Cheng said gruffly.

“Oh is it? I must have fallen back asleep,” Wei Wuxian said with another yawn.

“How much sleep do you need? Now look,” he said, grabbing his adopted brother by the top of his head and forcing him to look in his direction. “Everyone says this professor is terrifying. He’s from a famously strict cultivation family, so you will not snore. Is that clear?”

Wei Wuxian made a pouting face. “He’s from the Lan Sect, isn’t he? They’re so boring…”

“Why did you register for the class then?!” Jiang Cheng demanded irritably.

“Mm? Mm,” Wei Wuxian replied reluctantly. “Well, if I have to take something in music theory it might as well be with you. If it gets too boring we can write notes to each other. Or fight,” he added with an inappropriately cheery smile.

“I’ll drop you like a sack of potatoes if you embarrass me.”

“Okay, okay.”

Wei Wuxian let out one last yawn as he settled in to prepare for a boring hour listening to some stuffy professor drone on about things he already knew. He was still in mid-yawn when the door opened, the professor walked in, and the large lecture hall fell into a breathless silence. 

Though dressed conservatively in a white button up shirt and vest, he seemed to make the tasteful garments glow against his alabaster skin. His intimidating height seemed even more so when one spotted the long ponytail of lustrous black hair, held loosely at the back of his neck. His face had an air of ice, its handsomeness at once cutting any heart it struck, with its lack of visible empathy. Subtle, gold-framed glasses added an air of aloof intelligence. This was hardly the stuffy old man that Wei Wuxian had been expecting.

As soon as the young professor entered, briefly introduced himself as "Lan Wangji" and began the lesson exactly on time, Wei Wuxian’s eyes began to sparkle. He pinched Jiang Cheng in the side to get his attention. 

“Ow! What?!” Jiang Cheng hissed, barely glancing at him.

Wei Wuxian leaned in close and whispered gleefully, “I’m gonna do him.”

Jiang Cheng squeezed his pen so hard the plastic made creaking noises of pain. He flicked a glare over at his brother and told him flatly, “Even if he would even look twice at you, which he wouldn’t, no you won’t, because you promised to behave. Now be quiet for another forty-five more minutes or I’ll toss you out the window. I will not feel guilty about that.”

Wei Wuxian sighed longingly with a delighted smile as he gazed down at Lan Wangji, completely ignoring his brother’s threats. He was already plotting a way to get the hot young professor alone. He was rightfully confident; not only was he popular with all genders, but his gaydar had never been wrong before. And he was certain: this stiff young professor definitely batted for his team.

As expected, the professor was mobbed with questions after the class, but Wei Wuxian knew how to bide his time and find his opportunity. He found Lan Wangji’s office, which had his office hours posted on it, and came back just as they started. When Lan Wangji opened the door to allow students to come in with questions, Wei Wuxian was standing in the doorway, grinning up mischievously at him. 

“Hi, Lan-laoshi,” Wei Wuxian said happily. “I’m Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying. I’m a student in your music theory class.”

As if sensing his true purpose there, Wangji’s eyes narrowed. “This time is for students with questions,” he said.

“Oh, I have questions.”

“…about the course material,” Wangji specified with a hint of annoyance.

Wei Wuxian chuckled with a sigh, cutely knocking his head with his knuckle. “Aw, you caught me.”

“Come back when you have questions,” Wangji said, beginning to close the door. 

“Ah, wait! I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I really do have questions, Professor Lan. Won’t you let me in?” Wei Wuxian asked, tilting his head sweetly. 

Lan Wangji briefly closed his eyes with a resigned outward breath. He left the door open and walked back inside his office, taking a seat at his desk and silently grading homework as if Wei Wuxian were not there. 

Wei Wuxian was a little offended to be ignored. After closing the door behind himself, he came and sat on the desk, right beside Lan Wangji’s hand, watching him work. Wangji glared at the offending posterior. 

“Desks are for writing. Not sitting,” he said irritably. 

A smirk played at Wei Wuxian’s lips. “Is that so?”

Without another word, he slid one leg between Lan Wangji’s and leisurely slid down from the desk until he was perched on Lan Wangji’s thigh. He shifted a little to make sure Wangji could feel his pert ass against his leg. 

“Is this better?” he asked.

Lan Wangji was looking at him with as much shock and horror as if he had plucked out his own eyeball. “H-…have you lost your mind?” he hissed, but seemed too horrified to move away.

Wei Wuxian shivered in excitement at his innocent reaction. Could it be? Even someone as handsome as he, could he be a virgin?

“Mm. I understand. You’re so honorable, you’d never lay hands on a student. That’s right, isn’t it?” Wei Wuxian asked gleefully. He languidly raised both arms around Lan Wangji’s neck and drew in close. “Okay. I’ll drop the class then.”

“L-lay…hands…?!” Wangji choked, seeming close to hyperventilation. 

As Wei Wuxian drew close, Lan Wangji finally seemed to realize the danger and shot to his feet, shoving Wei Wuxian back. 

“Ow,” Wei Wuxian complained, rubbing his rear end, which had collided with the edge of the table. 

“Wei Ying…get out!” the professor demanded, pointing toward the door without looking at him. Wei Wuxian noticed with a flutter of his heart the way Lan Wangji’s ears were edged with red in his embarrassment.

Wei Wuxian hissed and clicked his tongue, making a big show of rubbing his ass where it had hit the table. “It hurts so much! I think something’s broken…”

Lan Wangji worriedly glanced down at the area before whirling away again in shame and frustration. “You are trying to manipulate me.”

Even though he was quite impressed with Wangji’s perceptiveness, Wei Wuxian insisted, “No, it really hurts…ow…can you look? I can’t see…”

He tried twisting around and peeking inside his pants but winced in pain in the attempt. 

Lan Wangji’s lips parted as he seemed uncertain now whether or not this was a ruse. But eventually he hardened his jaw. “If it hurts…then use it to reflect on your actions.”

With that, he tossed Wei Wuxian out bodily with almost no effort and slammed the door behind him, nearly giving his ass a real injury this time. Now suddenly finding himself outside and lacking his new playmate, and even though his heart was still pounding from the interaction, Wei Wuxian frowned, puzzled. He hadn’t really done anything different from his normal flirting. Why wasn’t it working on Lan Wangji?

…

For a while, he came to class seriously every day, though he spent most of his brain power attempting to figure out this mysterious academic. He thought he would try a friendly smile the next time Lan Wangji looked at him, but to his disappointment his eyes never even approached him. He often left class with a disappointed sigh. 

He also started asking around for more details about the cold professor. Lan Wangji had apparently lost both his parents when he was young and was raised by an uncle and brother, the latter of whom, named Lan Xichen, had paid his way all the way through graduate school. Yet, even though they were from such a prominent cultivation family, no one knew much about the elder. 

He was single, and had been for as long as anyone knew. Didn’t have many close friends, only a cordial relationship with colleagues. In his free time, he was known only to meditate, practice the sword or the guqin. No wonder he had such a refined air of a powerful cultivator, Wei Wuxian thought, unable to stop himself from wondering exactly how hot the sex would be with such a refined person. 

One day, Wei Wuxian arrived to school uncharacteristically early as a result of accidentally staying up all night reading a saucy book. As he was yawning and preparing to enter the classroom, he caught a flash of a familiar white forehead ribbon around the corner of the alley between two buildings. With a devious smirk, he snuck over to see if he could trouble his teacher a little.

As he approached, he realized Lan Wangji was talking to someone on the phone. 

“…you don’t need to,” he was saying, his tone even more respectful than usual. 

Wei Wuxian leaned closer curiously to listen. Even though he felt bad to overhear, he couldn’t help but notice the barely restrained emotion in Lan Wangji’s voice. Having gotten to know him as someone who was perfect and never showed any emotion but appropriate annoyance, it was quite unnerving.

“I don’t want you to,” he said bitterly. And after a significant pause, “Xiong-zhang,” he said sharply. Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened. Lan Wangji continued with more restraint, “I don’t care about that. But the work…it is…demeaning.” After a pause, he took in a sharp breath and said quickly, “Xiong-zhang!” But it was clear whoever he was talking to had hung up. 

Wei Wuxian was reeling from what he had just heard. Even with only half the conversation, and with Lan Wangji’s natural terseness, it was obvious he had just had a big argument with his brother. Wei Wuxian couldn’t imagine him using that term of respect with anyone else. Was his brother trying to get him to do some work that he found demeaning?

As Wei Wuxian was fixedly trying to imagine what had happened, Lan Wangji sighed heavily and emerged from around the corner, slipping his phone into his jacket pocket. He stopped when he saw Wei Wuxian. His cold eyes narrowed. 

Wei Wuxian forced an awkward laugh. “Ah…Lan-laoshi…fancy meeting you here!”

Wangji’s icy, wood-colored eyes only stared at him without even blinking. Wei Wuxian shrunk under the anger barely concealed in them. 

“I’m sorry,” Wei Wuxian managed meekly. “I didn’t mean to overhear. I just saw you and thought I’d pester you a little. I guess that’s not much better…he he…”

Lan Wangji closed his eyes, seemingly in an attempt to control his anger. “After class,” he said darkly. “There’s a café across the road. Wait for me there.”

“A date?!” Wei Wuxian couldn’t help from exclaiming excitedly.

But unsurprisingly, the glare he received for this assumption was bone-chilling. He chuckled again hesitantly. 

“Ok. Got it. After class then,” he murmured. 

…

An hour later, he sat nervously looking toward the door of the café, waiting for the elegant professor to walk through. When he did, dashingly holding his jacket in the crook of one arm, Wei Wuxian’s heart began to thunder in his chest. He wasn’t sure what he wanted, and suspected it wasn’t good, but he couldn’t help feeling nervous and excited just to spend time aloe with Lan Wangji.

As he spotted Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji turned back to the server who had greeted him. He spoke softly to her, gesturing vaguely toward Wei Wuxian and then pointing toward a secluded area in the back of the café. She nodded and bowed with a blush. 

Lan Wangji approached Wei Wuxian without the slightest emotion in his face. Without sitting down, he said, “This table is not ideal.” He indicated the back of the café, as he had done to the server. 

“O-oh,” Wei Wuxian said nervously, but he picked up the hint that Lan Wangji wanted them to move. He gathered his things and followed him to a much more private area, where only one of them would be visible to anyone who passed, and likely they would not be overheard at all. 

They settled down with Lan Wangji taking the more visible seat, so Wei Wuxian was almost entirely concealed by fake plants surrounding the booth. Wei Wuxian swallowed nervously, even as he watched Lan Wangji’s long and elegant hands admiringly as they folded on the table before him. 

“What did you hear?” Wangji asked coldly and without any preamble.

Wei Wuxian blinked. “Eh? Oh…the phone call? Nothing, I couldn’t hear the other party.” He belatedly realized that this was an opportunity to earn a little more attention from Lan Wangji. Could he use this to his advantage?

Though Wangji at first appeared relieved, he lapsed into silence for some time. “But you did hear who I was talking to,” he guessed darkly. 

Wei Wuxian forced a small laugh. “Well…I suppose ‘Xiong-zhang’ could refer to anyone, but…could it possibly be your big brother?”

Lan Wangji closed his eyes tiredly. Wei Wuxian waited with his heart pounding, wondering how Lan Wangji would react. Was he angry? Would he try to buy or threaten him into silence? His eventual response turned out to be neither. 

“Yes,” he said softly. His cold air suddenly seemed quite lonely to Wei Wuxian’s eyes.

Concerned, Wei Wuxian continued with the same soft tone, “Is…everything all right?”

An irritated sigh. At first it seemed Lan Wangji wouldn’t answer, he simply glared at the ground near Wei Wuxian’s feet. But at length his expression softened and became more melancholy. “It is a personal matter,” he said coldly. “I am here to ask you not to reveal anything you might have overheard to anyone else.”

“Well…of course. But, is there anything I can do to help?”

Lan Wangji glanced up at him with a curious frown. “Why would you help a teacher you dislike?”

“Eh?!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed. “What part of flirting with you makes you think I dislike you?!”

A surprisingly naïve expression overtook the dignified countenance. He looked away with an air of mild embarrassment. “I assumed that was bullying.”

“It was just flirting! Have you seen you? You must get fifty confessions a day!”

A hint of red touched at Lan Wangji’s ears, and he self-consciously adjusted his glasses. “Ridiculous,” he grumbled.

The server came and asked for their orders. Lan Wangji asked for chrysanthemum tea. Wei Wuxian asked for an elaborate bubble tea. Lan Wangji remained in silence for some time after this, but Wei Wuxian waited patiently for him to speak again.

With an air of resignation, Wangji finally softly admitted, “His job…worries me. I am now independent and wish him to stop. He claims to like the work. I do not believe him.” With that, it was clear he had no more to say on the subject. 

Wei Wuxian blinked, trying to put together all the details from this terse description. “Oh…what kind of work?”

Lan Wangji glared sharply at him. Clearly that was not the right question. 

Wei Wuxian forced a chuckle, “Okay, okay. Forget I asked that. Well…what makes you not believe him then?”

“…it is…difficult work. Socially…not well respected,” Wangji admitted, his gaze hard on the table before him. “A man like him should not enjoy that kind of work.”

Though Wei Wuxian did pick up an odd emphasis on the word ‘man’ in that sentence, and logged it away curiously, he could tell the topic of the job was a sensitive one and didn’t press it. “So essentially you respect him but don’t respect his work, so you assume if he’s a good person he must be ashamed too?” he asked, as if this were all obvious.

But Lan Wangji recoiled sharply as if he had been struck. “I…I would never-!”

At that moment, the server arrived with their drinks. She left them with a warm smile and they both looked down at them with a tense silence. 

“I…never said I don’t respect his work,” Wangji said eventually. “I would never imply he should be ashamed.”

“Hm. But it sounds like that’s your only reason for doubting him,” Wei Wuxian commented idly, pushing the tapioca around inside his glass. “Maybe he feels rejected, if his little brother is ashamed of what he does. Especially if the truth is that he really enjoys it.”

Wangji gazed down at his tea, lost in thought for some time. Apparently his own stance toward his brother’s work had not entered his mind. Whatever the work was, it was apparently worrisome enough on its own to warrant Wangji’s concern, so perhaps his own reaction to it hadn’t occurred to him. 

Their eyes happened to meet just as Wei Wuxian was cutely involved in his drink. He grinned reassuringly at his teacher around his straw. After swallowing, he said, “Don’t worry. Someone who’d do hard work to support his little brother isn’t likely to hold a grudge. I’m sure he just wants to know you don’t resent him.”

“Resent?” Wangji murmured, seeming shocked. “He couldn’t think…” But he fell silent again as he started to wonder indeed whether this might be the case. “…he thinks I resent him?”

“He might just be worried. In either case, he definitely knows now that you’re independent and don’t need his help, so all he needs to know is that you support him whatever he does. That’s true isn’t it?”

Wangji nodded meekly. 

Wei Wuxian giggled. “Lan-laoshi, you can make such cute expressions too. Don’t worry. I’m sure there’s no big brother in the world who wouldn’t be totally smitten with you, and forgive you for everything.”

This time, the hint of red on Lan Wangji’s icy skin touched at his cheeks. He cautiously looked up at Wei Wuxian as he once again became involved in his brightly colored bubble tea. Wei Wuxian could have imagined it, but he thought his expression softened. Eventually, Wangji took a sip of his own tea. 

They didn’t talk much after that, and it was mostly Wei Wuxian, but at the end Lan Wangji paid for both their drinks and quietly thanked Wei Wuxian. He didn’t say what for. Wei Wuxian blinked up at his intimidating teacher, feeling as if someone had wedged something painful inside his chest. As Lan Wangji left, Wei Wuxian watched him while clutching at the mysterious pain in his chest. It hurt even more watching him walk away. 

…

Late on Friday night of that week, Wei Wuxian had been out drinking with friends and happened to pass by the gay bar district. He couldn’t get most of the others to join him in another round, but he strong-armed Jiang Cheng into joining him for one last drink in the company of pretty men in drag. Jiang Cheng would never admit it, but he was even more into that kind of thing than Wei Wuxian. 

They ended up having quite a good time and were still feeling warm and pleasantly tipsy when they finally headed toward home. But their good mood was interrupted by a low voice shouting nearby. Both brothers stopped instinctively, as the voice had been undercut by soft crying too. 

Outside the back entrance of a different club, a vision of a man in dignified white appeared to be shouting at a beautiful but unusually tall woman held in his grasp. She had a rapidly forming bruise on her cheek, and twin lines of tears which cut through her makeup. Wei Wuxian recognized the one shouting at her in an instant, and immediately lost all his feeling of drunkenness. 

Both he and Jiang Cheng ran over, and Wei Wuxian shoved Lan Wangji back, grasping his shoulders. “Lan Wangji! What are you thinking?!” he demanded.

Jiang Cheng hesitantly tried to comfort the crying woman, offering her a handkerchief and worriedly examining the bruise on her cheek. She shied away from him, but hesitantly accepted the handkerchief with trembling fingers. 

Lan Wangji only looked away, clenching his jaw and his fists in an attempt to control his anger. 

“Lan Wangji! Answer me!” Wei Wuxian shouted again in frustration.

“Please…” came a soft, low voice. “It wasn’t him. It was my fault.”

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng both looked toward the sound of the voice, surprised that, though gentle and refined, it was a man’s voice that seemed to have come from the beautiful woman Lan Wangji had been shouting at. 

As he looked closer, he realized this woman greatly resembled Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened. “Oh…I’m sorry,” he said humbly. He turned to her and bowed. “Might you be…the elder Master Lan?”

Jiang Cheng was the only one who recoiled in shock at these words. He turned his gaze up to the beautiful woman in shock, who bowed her head slightly. “Lan Xichen, Lan Huan. Oh, but…here I’m Peili.”

“Then, Miss Peili,” said Wei Wuxian with a warm smile, causing her to blush and smile cautiously. “Can we take you somewhere quiet to rest and talk, perhaps over tea? Or alternatively we can beat the shit out of your brother for you.”

Xichen let out a very small and graceful laugh, shaking his head. “Tea would be lovely.”

A few minutes later, the odd foursome – one of whom was hesitant and two of whom were clearly desperate to leave – was dragged to the nearest late night café by Wei Wuxian. 

“So,” he said, peeking up past his steaming cup of tea at Lan Wangji’s beautiful brother (sister?), who seemed even more so in better lighting. “I take it your brother wasn’t the one to give you that bruise. And that’s why he was angry?”

Peili’s long eyelashes fluttered. A small nod. 

“What? Who did it then?” Jiang Cheng demanded. 

She sighed, shaking her head. “It was…just a stupid mistake. I should have a better eye for spotting them by now. He was…just a client who reacted badly when I said no. It happens.”

Lan Wangji’s hand slapped the table, shocking all the others. “There is no way to predict the actions of strange men. You should never be in that position.”

“C-…client…?” Jiang Cheng murmured, looking shell-shocked.

Peili hid her face with a slender, shaking hand. “You hadn’t guessed by the way I’m dressed?” she asked with a small, self-deprecating laugh. She turned to face Jiang Cheng and offered a sad smile, which was somehow even more devastatingly beautiful. “I can’t let anyone know because of Wangji’s reputation. But…as you see, I’m a hostess.”

When Jiang Cheng still seemed confused, and in fact if Wei Wuxian didn’t know better he might even say somewhat heartbroken, she looked down sadly and struggled to explain more clearly. 

“That is to say…my main job is just talking. In theory we help secure business deals, but most of our clients just need someone sympathetic to talk to. And…there is occasional singing and dancing, but…I’ve been told my voice ruins the illusion, so I mostly listen.”

Jiang Cheng looked down at the table with a heavy frown and didn’t speak after that. Lan Xichen observed this with a look of even greater sadness and turned away too. 

“You don’t have bouncers?” Wei Wuxian asked, trying to bring back the main topic.

“We do…but there are more private areas where they’re not allowed, the VIP rooms. We’re only supposed to allow properly vetted clients into those, but…I don’t want anyone younger or less experienced being the first to find out the hard way that a certain client is bad,” Xichen murmured softly.

Wei Wuxian smiled warmly up at her. “You must be a wonderful big sister,” he said sweetly.

Peili blushed with a grateful smile, but glanced cautiously up at Lan Wangji. Sadness returned to her expression. In a soft voice only meant for Wei Wuxian, she said, “Please only call me by male terms around Wangji.”

Lan Wangji’s frown intensified. He had clearly heard the soft remark. “Why would I care about that?”

“I know you, Wangji. You don’t have to say it,” Peili murmured softly. “I’m sorry that I’m like this,” she whispered even more softly, trying to cover the emotion in her voice. “But I swear, no one gets in without signing a confidentiality form. It will never get out or hurt you-“

“I have never cared about any of that,” Wangji barked in a flash of anger. “Whether you’re gay or whether you’re a man or a woman, or whether anyone finds out. Someone is hurting my family, and there’s nothing I can do. Every day I worry that someone will murder you just because of who you are. That’s what upsets me.”

A heavy silence fell over the four as Lan Xichen stared at his brother. Gradually, fresh tears began to drop down his cheeks. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help a soft smile; he had guessed this was the case. That Lan Xichen had been assuming Lan Wangji disapproved of him because of his work, when in fact it was entirely worry. 

“No…you must be at least a little ashamed,” Xichen whispered in a shaking voice. “I’m supposed to be your big brother. The one you idolized all through childhood. Just seeing me like this…you must feel…”

“That has not changed,” Wangji said firmly. “I would be just as disapproving if your job involved other dangers. But if you insist on continuing, then I would ask that you let me pick you up as often as possible. And to stop going into VIP rooms.”

Wei Wuxian tilted his head cutely toward Peili. “That seems reasonable to me, Big Sis.”

She let out a helpless, softly crying laugh. “Wangji…who is this sweet young man?”

“His boyfriend,” Wei Wuxian said, clinging to Wangji’s arm.

“A student,” Wangji growled, pushing Wei Wuxian back by his forehead. 

“Prospective boyfriend!” Wei Wuxian claimed, struggling to keep clinging to him but outmatched by arm strength.

Lan Xichen glanced with deep interest between the two, and eventually a knowing smile. He tilted his head and only said, “Is that so?” to both claims equally.

The group left together after they finished their tea. Since they were in the same direction, a still somewhat sullen Jiang Cheng offered to see Peili home. She seemed a little nervous, given his obvious disapproval earlier, but after another warm glance between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, agreed with a smile. 

“So you and your brother don’t live together?” Wei Wuxian asked, while walking alongside Lan Wangji back to the university district. 

“…he claims it might cause rumors if we were seen living together,” Wangji replied quietly.

Wei Wuxian sighed. “You’re so lucky to have such a caring big sister. It’s a good day when Jiang Cheng doesn’t punch me in the face.”

“You do provoke him though, don’t you?”

“Well he’s so serious! Don’t you just get the urge to tease him whenever you see that humorless face?!”

A soft exhalation from Lan Wangji, which might almost have been mistaken for a laugh. Wei Wuxian gazed up in wonder to see a smile edging at the normally merciless face. Not wanting to ruin the moment, Wei Wuxian merely continued walking beside his mysterious and beautiful teacher, all the while his heart pounding so loud he was afraid Wangji could hear it.

They reached Wei Wuxian’s apartment complex first, and Lan Wangji politely stopped at the entrance to bid him goodnight. Wei Wuxian had his hand on the gate, but he hesitated. Hesitantly, he glanced up at Lan Wangji.

In the moonlight in particular, this man was an attack on the eyes. His white clothing seemed to glow softly around him, yet his porcelain skin was contrasted with his flowing dark hair, and the soft outline of his glasses. His expression still seemed soft and almost grateful as he looked directly at Wei Wuxian, in a way he rarely had up until now. Wei Wuxian swallowed, feeling that strange pain in the center of his chest again.

“Lan Wangji…” he said softly. 

“What is it?”

Overwhelmed by his beauty and the softness of his voice, Wei Wuxian got on his tiptoes and placed a hesitant kiss on Lan Wangji’s cheek. His heart felt about to explode. He smelled of sandalwood. 

Lan Wangji immediately shoved him back. “Wei Wuxian! Do you have no respect for me at all?!”

Though normally such embarrassed and stiff reactions only delighted Wei Wuxian, this time he felt he had broken something precious. He was stunned into silence.

He realized Lan Wangji had been starting to trust him. Even if he did trust him, Wei Wuxian reminded himself, that wasn’t the same thing as liking someone romantically. With a shocking realization, Wei Wuxian was forced to come to terms with the fact that he had never been in love before. That he was now. And that his feelings were not shared.

Helplessly trying to recover the pleasant mood of before, Wei Wuxian hurriedly forced himself to reply, “Of course I do…I like you. I shouldn’t have done that so suddenly. But…I’m serious about you. Could you consider my feelings?”

Lan Wangji’s expression darkened like clouds passing over the moon. If possible, this was the most angry Wei Wuxian had ever seen him. 

“Who would believe you?”

Lan Wangji said nothing else. He didn’t need to. He had stuck a knife into the most vulnerable part of Wei Wuxian’s psyche, a spot which Wei Wuxian hadn’t even realized he had. 

Wei Wuxian joked and bucked authority because in the core of his being, he expected to be abandoned. If he were rude and disrespectful enough, it would mean he was abandoned because of bad behavior, meaning it was in his control. But this time he had really tried. Which meant that Lan Wangji had seen all there was of him, as honest as he could be, and had still deemed him unworthy. 

Each echoing step down the darkened street of Lan Wangji’s footsteps walking away felt painfully loud. Wei Wuxian leaned back against his gate, unable to move for some time. When he did, it was to force a small laugh. 

“So even when I’m serious, I’m not serious…ah, how funny…”

He tried to laugh again but couldn’t. Instead he watched as one after another, soft droplets fell onto the concrete beneath him. 

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending   
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	19. The Troublesome Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor Lan Wangji gradually comes to regret his treatment of Wei Wuxian and realize his own feelings.

Lan Wangji woke at the usual time the next morning, calmly setting about his morning routine. He began with handstand meditation, stripping down to the waist and flipping his heels up against the wall. But as he closed his eyes, distracting images repeatedly rattled his concentration. A smiling face, admiringly watching from a distance, sidling up uncomfortably close, sipping a ridiculously elaborate sweet drink. Soft lips pressing to his cheek. And the perpetually happy expression being broken by his own words. 

Wangji breathed out harshly and came down to the floor, kneeling there and panting in self-disgust. He owed Wei Wuxian nothing, he told himself. He had nothing to feel guilty for. He had seen more than a few students who got some kind of odd pleasure out of seeing their teachers squirm, and he was sure that was exactly what Wei Wuxian was doing. That is…until he made that face last night.

Pushing this aside, because he simply didn’t know what to do with it, he finished preparing for the day. Saturdays for Lan Wangji were just as structured as his work days. The mornings were dedicated to early sword practice, then afterward the guqin. In the afternoons, he always dedicated at least two hours to research and study for his own interests, and then spent the remaining time grading student assignments. He insisted on having dinner together with Xichen every day, whether at his place or outside – Xichen refused to let him visit his apartment.

On this occasion, Xichen was kind enough to come to his place, claiming his manager had given him the day off in apology for what happened. Even in casual masculine clothes, Xichen was gloriously beautiful. He had braided his long hair loosely over one shoulder and was wearing his forehead ribbon again – which he took off for work to avoid casting suspicion on Wangji. He wore a high-collar shirt with a somewhat feminine cut, emphasizing his wrists and hips. He smiled warmly when Wangji let him in, belying the large bandage covering the bruise on his face. 

“Are you feeling any better?” Xichen asked as the two walked toward the dining room.

Wangji raised an eyebrow at him, implying that clearly he should be the one asking that question. 

Xichen chuckled. “I told you, this is my job. You, on the other hand, seem troubled by something quite out of the ordinary for you.”

“…what?”

As they sat down and Wangji prepared a plate for each of them, Xichen shrugged lightly. “Perhaps a certain precocious young student. Or was it ‘prospective boyfriend’?”

Wangji sighed roughly. “I’m not troubled.”

“Really? You looked very happy when he was clinging to you.”

Wangji’s frown increased. “I was not happy.”

Xichen chuckled warmly, but of course they both fell into comfortable silence as they started eating. Both had sensitive ears which easily swayed their emotions, so talking while eating tended to make them both feel ill. As they finished, Xichen rose to clear away and wash the dishes, which he always offered to do alone as a thank you to Wangji for cooking, but which Wangji always ended up helping with anyway. 

As they worked, Xichen picked up the conversation again, “He is charming though. I really think he’d be good for you.”

“Good for what?” Wangji demanded, but gently took the plate that Xichen handed him to dry. 

“Just good for you,” Xichen replied with a cute tilt of his shoulder. 

Wangji sighed, but his sibling’s sweetness and vulnerability always made him feel protective, and perhaps for that reason he suddenly felt a stab of guilt. On the small chance that Wei Wuxian had somehow meant what he said…but no, he assured himself. He couldn’t forget the way that the miscreant had first approached him. And the fact that he was kind to his brother…most likely that was just his own preference.

“By the way, Wangji…” Xichen murmured, a little more softly. He seemed to be purposefully trying to sound casual, but wasn’t quite getting there. “What do you think of that…ehem. I mean…his brother?”

“Listens well in class. Handwriting lacks precision.”

Xichen sighed. “I was referring more to what you thought of him as a person.”

Wangji considered his other student, registered as “Jiang Wanyin.” His first impression was that he tried to hold back the worst of Wei Wuxian’s impulses, though mostly for the sake of his own reputation. Wangji also didn’t like the way he had shown open disappointment on realizing Xichen’s sex. That said, he was a diligent student and always respectful, and never let Wei Wuxian come into any harm, even when he was being purposefully annoying.

But with his usual difficulty with words, his conclusion was in the end simply, “Favorable by comparison.”

Xichen laughed, handing him another plate. “Yes…I suppose he’s nothing special.”

“Did he say something to you?” Wangji asked, suddenly wondering whether Jiang Wanyin needed the fear of God put into him.

Xichen’s lips parted, but he quickly shook his head with a shy smile. “Not really,” he said, but Wangji thought his cheeks looked a little warm. 

…

For the remainder of the weekend, Lan Wangji immersed himself in work and put thoughts of a certain trouble-maker out of his mind. 

On Monday morning, he felt a small twinge of worry as he realized Jiang Cheng was sitting alone. There was no sign of Wei Wuxian that day. The next day as well. And the next. This would have been bad enough, but as the weeks passed and it became clear that Wei Wuxian had no intention of returning to class, Lan Wangji then began to hear rumors about him. 

“Did you see Wei Wuxian with Jin Zixuan the other day?”

“No way! I heard he was with Wen Qing!”

“When did he break up with Xue Yang?”

“Did you see his eyes? I don’t think he’s been sleeping.”

“He stank of booze this morning.”

“He’s picking real fights with Jiang Cheng now…he had a split lip the last time I saw him.”

“Too bad. He used to be so handsome.”

Lan Wangji began to hear such conversations on an almost daily basis. At first, he was filled with anger that Wei Wuxian would let such a small matter cause so much disruption, as well as damage to his own health and spirit. But then he began to doubt whether all these rumors could possibly be true. Even Wei Wuxian had his limits. In the end, Wangji’s guilt moved his feet almost before he realized it himself. 

On the pretense of checking in on a student who might be at risk, Lan Wangji departed school early one day and went to Wei Wuxian’s apartment complex. He didn’t know the number, so he simply waited at the gate as the sun slowly began to paint longer and longer shadows in the park nearby. He waited for hours in silent meditation, but there was no sign of Wei Wuxian anywhere. He was beginning to wonder whether he should attempt to ask the landlord when the gate opened behind him.

Though dressed in night club attire, Wei Wuxian was not his usual cheery self, but rather looked exhausted. He almost walked straight past Lan Wangji without noticing him. 

“Wei Wuxian.”

Wei Wuxian took in a sharp breath. He gazed up at Wangji in shock, revealing both bloodshot and tired-looking eyes. After a moment to recover, he managed a small, surprised chuckle. “Lan-laoshi? What’s the idea? Are you the morality police come to take me away?”

Wangji’s jaw tightened. Wei Wuxian’s exhaustion was clearly affecting his ability to lie convincingly. Nevertheless, Lan Wangji had already decided what he was going to say. “I came to ask about your intentions. Your grade is nearing the cutoff to pass. If you fail or withdraw, it will affect your major.”

Wei Wuxian managed another soft chuckle, this one a little darker. “Laoshi. Who said I’d fail? There’s still the final exam isn’t there? If I pass that, even if my grade won’t let me pass the course, it’ll show I’m either that good a student, or your lectures are that useless.”

Lan Wangji gazed down at the formerly adorable and now quite pitiful creature, deep in thought. He had thought Wei Wuxian was something of a mystery, but right now he seemed very easy to read. Even so, whether he was easy to reach was quite another matter. 

“I would like to discuss your current situation and plans for the future,” Wangji said softly.

“Oh just that, huh?” Wei Wuxian asked sarcastically, scratching the back of his neck. Wangji feared he would refuse, but with a sudden smirk, the imp turned back around the way he had come. “All right. Come inside then.”

After Wei Wuxian cleared away a space for Lan Wangji to sit on his couch, he ducked into the kitchen and called back, “I’d offer you tea, but I’m afraid all I have is this.”

His hand appeared from around the corner brandishing a jug of baijiu, with the label: “Emperor’s Smile.” Wei Wuxian appeared himself and grinned at Wangji, carrying two cups and setting them on the table in front of the couch, while he himself knelt beside it. He poured them each a glass and pushed one before Lan Wangji. 

Wangji glanced down at it in mild irritation, as he was sure Wei Wuxian would be aware he didn’t drink. Instead, without any preamble, since he assumed Wei Wuxian would be aware what he meant, Wangji murmured, “Let me help you.”

Wei Wuxian’s hand briefly paused on the way up to bring the full cup of liquor to his lips. Then he chuckled. “That’s funny,” he said, knocking back the contents in one swig. “Ahh,” he sighed pleasantly. “You were the one who doubted me when I said I had questions. Of course, you were right. You don’t need to worry, Laoshi. I read the textbook through on the first night, there’s nothing I don’t understand.”

“…I didn’t mean in class.”

Wei Wuxian’s smile briefly faded. But moments later he managed to get it back. “Then I’m even more confused. I wouldn’t say I need your help with anything, Lan Laoshi. Come on, have a drink with me. Let’s be friends, and forget any unpleasantness between us.”

“…did you mean what you said?”

“Hm? When?” Wei Wuxian asked absently, pouring himself another drink and swishing it back like it was water.

Wangji sighed softly, looking down at the liquor sitting placid in front of him. “The last time I saw you.”

“Did I say something? Oh, you know better than to take me seriously, Laoshi. Don’t worry about all of that. Come on, have a drink.”

Wangji felt a pang every time Wei Wuxian called him “teacher,” as he realized that was purposeful distancing. He was trying to push him away. Wangji had a feeling that he knew why, but he wasn’t sure how to resolve this situation. He still feared trusting someone who was already so talented at unbalancing his equilibrium. 

Wangji picked up the heavy bag he’d been carrying, pulling out the drawstring and pushing the fabric down to reveal his glimmering white guqin, which shared his own name. He folded the bag, setting it aside, and spread his fingers over the instrument on his lap. 

“I don’t drink. But I’ll play while you do.”

Wei Wuxian’s lips parted in mild surprise. But he reluctantly smiled and nodded, raising his glass to him before taking a drink.

Wangji took a breath to imagine his own feelings into musical language. Gradually, he picked up a sweet and baleful melody, which melded gently into the soft orange light of evening. Wei Wuxian’s smile again began to fade, though this time it didn’t disappear completely. This expression seemed to Wangji even more sad than when he wasn’t smiling at all. The mischievous young man rested his head against his glass as he listened. 

Wangji’s heart only ached further the longer he spent in this lonely, disorganized room, wondering how long Wei Wuxian had been by himself. Wangji personally might have difficulty with him, but he greatly admired everything about this man. He was a point of brightness in a dull world. No matter how many people cared for him, he thought, it would not be enough. And among these thoughts came a feeling that grew stronger and stronger, even as Wangji had difficulty in identifying it himself. Was there any way he could be of comfort to this person?

As he played, Wei Wuxian let out a soft sigh. “If I could play like you, I suppose I wouldn’t even need school.” He closed his eyes and appreciated the unusual melody. “This song is really beautiful. I’m almost tearing up. I swear, I’m being serious for once,” he whispered, and Wangji thought there might have been a note of pain in his voice. “I really like it. Who wrote it?”

Wangji was surprised Wei Wuxian hadn’t realized he was composing extemporaneously. He felt somewhat uncomfortable having to explain that he was only playing his own feelings. And heat touched his cheeks as he realized that effectively meant Wei Wuxian was unknowingly confessing to him again. 

“…me,” he said simply.

“Ah, I should have known,” Wei Wuxian commented, taking another drink and then staring down at the floor for a while. “How beautiful. As expected of Lan Laoshi. What’s it called?”

Lan Wangji’s heart felt squeezed. He felt it was quite obvious by now from the way he was playing. It was mortifying to have to say it out loud. Even though he was finding it harder and harder to deny that he had been wrong from the start about Wei Wuxian, still his fear of such a bright and joyous but volatile creature stopped him from being completely honest. 

“What do you think?” he asked, unconsciously further attempting to sort out exactly what Wei Wuxian’s feelings might be.

“Nh? You want a suggestion? All right then…hm…Lan Wangji’s Lovesick Plucking.”

Wei Wuxian laughed at his own words, and Wangji’s expression softened before he realized it. As he thought, on some level at least, Wei Wuxian was aware how Wangji felt. He kept playing in silence for a time. 

Wei Wuxian eventually sighed. “Thanks for this, Laoshi. You really don’t need to worry about me. In fact…I’d be grateful if you’d just leave me alone.”

Wangji’s fingers stopped. “…alone?” he repeated softly.

“Mm. See, I got it. You’re not someone to play around with,” Wei Wuxian said, pushing himself up to his feet and downing a final cup of baijiu. “And since you can’t play, and I can’t be serious, I think it’s better if we just go our separate ways. Don’t you?”

“…unless you were serious.”

Wei Wuxian laughed, but he was turned away. Wangji wasn’t certain, but he suspected there was a sob at the end of that laugh. “It wouldn’t matter if I was, would it? Ha ha, no forget I said that, I’m just messing with you again. I’d never imply I could be worthy of the great Lan Wangji. Poor Lan Laoshi, you must get pestered by fools like me all the time.”

Lan Wangji sighed. He placed his guqin on the table and got to his feet, coming to stand behind Wei Wuxian, who still had his back to him. “You’d be worthy of anyone you wanted.”

Wei Wuxian took in a sharp breath. His head slowly lowered, and Wangji could tell he was crying. “Can you…please just go? I’m sure you’re trying to be kind, but this is really messing with my head.”

“Wei Ying. What you said that night, were you being serious or not?”

“…you know I don’t have a serious bone in my body. Please just go. This is too hard.”

The sight of Wei Wuxian’s shoulders hunched and head lowered with tears was too much for Wangji to bear. He reached out his fingers. He wrapped them around Wei Wuxian’s hand. He squeezed lightly. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Wei Wuxian seemed frozen for a few moments. When he finally did move, it was to sob audibly. “I got it. So please stop being so kind to me, or I’ll misunderstand. I’m just a dumb kid with a crush on his teacher.”

Lan Wangji sighed. Unable to hold himself back anymore, he wrapped his free arm around Wei Wuxian’s chest from behind and pulled him close. “Still favorable to a foolish teacher with a crush on his student.”

Wei Wuxian did not move at first. His breathing grew harsh. Lan Wangji’s skin tingled to feel his warmth in the circle of his arms. Slowly, Wei Wuxian turned inside his grasp, but rather than break his grasp on his hand, held it tighter and brought Wangji’s hand up to his chest as he gazed up at him with tear-stained eyes.

“You’re…not talking about Jiang Cheng or something right?” he asked, his voice breaking.

Wangji frowned irritably. “I don’t go after younger men.”

Wei Wuxian made an odd face. “What exactly are you trying to tell me?”

“That you’re an exception.”

“Oh…” Wei Wuxian murmured in shock. His gaze slowly lowered as wonder overcame his expression. “Oh…” he repeated, seemingly unable to come up with anything else to say. He swallowed, and then looked back up at Wangji with an adorable expression that almost snapped Wangji’s resolve. “So…are you saying…you like me too?”

“Mm.”

Wei Wuxian let out a shivering breath, another tear falling down his cheek. “Are you sure? Your face still looks the same as when you’re angry with me…”

Lan Wangji sighed. He used his free hand to pull Wei Wuxian’s ear against his chest. Even though he was the one doing it, he could feel his own heart hammering loudly in his ears, and was sure Wei Wuxian would be able to as well. He had to close his eyes against an array of complex feelings which threatened to overwhelm him, and kept him holding Wei Wuxian close long after it was necessary to do so.

“Sorry, I got distracted…” Wei Wuxian whispered breathlessly, an adorable pink tinting his cheeks. “I’m supposed to be listening, right? Yes…it’s pretty loud…”

“This is very loud for me,” Wangji assured him.

Wei Wuxian let out a small, sweet laugh. “I like it.”

Wangji breathed out harshly, requiring great physical restraint and concentration to stop himself from holding Wei Wuxian even tighter. He was about to tell him what he came here to say when he saw an irresistible cute face looking up longingly at his own. Wei Wuxian’s eyes fluttered as they met his. Then they traveled down to his lips. Wei Wuxian’s own lips parted and he stood up on his tiptoes, using his free hand to lovingly caress Wangji’s cheek. 

With that, and a monumental effort of will, Wangji grasped his wrist and pushed him back slightly. Wei Wuxian blinked at the new distance between them, looking as if he might cry again. Instead, his face formed a pout. 

“Lan Wangji! Be honest, are you just messing with me?!” he demanded, seeming at his wit’s end by now.

“First pass my class.”

Wei Wuxian gaped at him as if he’d just laid an egg. “…eh?!”

“I’m serious,” Wangji growled. “If you fail, then retake it. Your drop in grades was partly my responsibility. Failure in this not only reflects badly on me, it could affect your future at the university.”

“Hell with the university!” Wei Wuxian raged.

Wangji’s frown increased slightly until Wei Wuxian reluctantly accepted the fact that he wasn’t about to back down. 

The young man whimpered and slid down to the ground in defeat, Wangji slowing his descent by holding his hands. But once there, he again acted childishly by holding the back of Wangji’s hand to his cheek. 

“…fine,” he grumbled. “But I’m still offended you thought I couldn’t pass. If you don’t make the final harder, it won’t be any fun.”

Wangji felt a tiny smile forming at the edge of his mouth. “Only if you turn in the homework you missed.”

“…all of it?! Nnngh, Lan Wangji, you sadist!”

…

Wei Wuxian returned to school, irritably using all his concentration to listen and take notes, including the new material that Wangji added of his own research, after Wei Wuxian diligently completed all his missing homework. While the other students were sweating to understand the complex theoretical information, Wei Wuxian’s performance gradually improved.

After the final exam, Wei Wuxian impatiently followed Lan Wangji home, where he had planned to grade in peace. He did halfheartedly try to discourage him, but this only resulted in Wei Wuxian jumping on his back and loudly crying about unfairness. He decided it would just be simpler to bend the rules than to try to discipline the world’s most undisciplined man.

At his desk at home, he set down the stack of tests while Wei Wuxian hopped up on the desk to observe him grading the top test, which was of course Wei Wuxian’s. But at this, Wangji really did grow irritated, and shot him a look, glancing down at the unwelcome ass on his desk. 

Wei Wuxian made a pouting noise and instead sat with his legs folded in another chair, facing away to let Wangji work in peace. 

Fifteen minutes later, Wangji wrote the grade at the top of the page and enclosed it in a circle, as was his habit. Hearing the sound, Wei Wuxian perked up and flopped his upper body onto Wangji’s back, looking impatiently over his shoulder.

“Well??” 

“…your handwriting is chaotic.”

“The grade??? Let me see…ah…” Wei Wuxian fell silent and a tinge of pink came onto his cheeks. He too seemed just as surprised as Wangji. “Ninety-eight?” he whispered in shock.

“You lost one point for making a logical jump without support here. Another for a grammatical error here. Overall…though somewhat fanciful, your argument is extremely well constructed. You studied diligently both from the textbook and from the additional readings I assigned.”

Wei Wuxian’s smile as he looked at the almost unmarked exam was a little tearful. He leaned gratefully on Wangji’s shoulder and asked sweetly, “Do you love me now?”

“…my feelings remain unchanged.” But as he sensed another tantrum coming, Wangji turned, standing up from his chair, and took both Wei Wuxian’s hands in his. “But you are no longer my student.”

“…so I can kiss you now?” Wei Wuxian asked softly, gazing longing at Wangji’s lips.

“…mm.”

He patiently allowed Wei Wuxian to draw in closer, until he could see the delicate movements of his long eyelashes. Finally Wangji himself closed the distance between them. He couldn’t stop his fingers from trembling slightly as he grasped the back of Wei Wuxian’s head and pulled him close. He felt his heart would burst as pleasant feelings surged through his body, emanating from the soft caress of Wei Wuxian’s lips against his own. 

“Hah…” Wei Wuxian gasped as their lips parted. He too was shaking as he let his weight rest against Wangji’s chest. Wangji closed his eyes and held him tightly, grateful for a world that had produced such a precious being. “I’ve never had a kiss like that…”

Wangji’s eyes opened as another question that had been troubling him surfaced in his mind. “Wei Ying.”

“Hm?”

“…did you really date Xue Yang?”

“Eh, I, uh…I wouldn’t call it dating…he’s crazy, but he’s got this tiny, perfect little ass, you know.” 

Wangji tried to shake off the abruptly inappropriate turn in the conversation. Then he realized something with a shock. “You…take the top role?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged. “Depends who’s asking.”

“…there is such a thing as being too open-minded.”

Wei Wuxian grinned and finally sank down against a sofa in the back of the room, pulling Wangji down on top of him. Wangji cautiously rested his hands on Wei Wuxian’s delightfully narrow waist, which curved out into even more delightfully full hips. 

“Why don’t you wait to say that until after?” he asked devilishly.

“…shameless,” Wangji grumbled, but he punctuated this criticism with a deep and hungry kiss. 

Wei Wuxian was even more adorable in bed than in his regular persona. He made sweet noises every time Wangji touched a sensitive part of his body, and was constantly shifting and rubbing against him, almost like an affectionate cat. All of this was having a deep effect on Wangji, making his head go blank and certain parts of his body sore. 

Even more appealing, and more frustrating, Wangji soon noticed that his own given name was beginning to drip from Wei Wuxian’s lips. 

“Ah…L-…Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian whispered as Wangji’s fingers stretched down his chest.

Wangji exhaled sharply and hungrily bit down on the skin of his chest. 

“Ah!” Wei Ying gasped in pain. “I knew it…you are a sadist…” he complained sweetly.

“I’m not,” Wangji insisted, but without much concern as he moved his attention to Wei Wuxian’s lower body. He hungrily opened his mouth.

Feeling Wangji’s mouth surround him, Wei Wuxian’s back arched and his arms went up over his head as he let out a desperate cry. His fingers gripped down into the fabric of the couch. He bit his lip to hold back continued cries. 

As he wrapped both arms around Wei Wuxian’s narrow waist and ample ass, swallowing him ever more deeply, he was even more enamored of how plump his hips were. He would never admit this until he died, but he had had several very pleasant dreams, remembering the feeling of Wei Wuxian’s full and round ass against his leg when they first met. 

“Ah…no, Lan Zhan…I’ll cum…”

As if to encourage the adorable creature not to have such silly concerns, Wangji gathered his ass in both hands and squeezed, encouraging him to thrust inside his mouth. 

“Ahhh!” Wei Wuxian cried, helplessly grasping onto his shoulders and twitching inside his mouth. 

Wangji quickly swallowed the bitter substance down his throat, never realizing before this moment that he wasn’t bothered by such things. He sucked down to make sure he drained his love completely, causing a distraught Wei Wuxian to shiver and gasp. 

Turning the shivering Wei Wuxian over onto all fours, Wangji deeply wet two fingers in his mouth, then slid them inside Wei Ying’s twitching hole. Wei Wuxian made a delicious noise, shivering as he lost the strength in his arms and sank down against the couch. 

“Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan…” he whispered repeatedly, rolling his hips encouragingly against the movements of Wangji’s fingers. “Ah! Ah…your fingers are so…long and graceful…I love them so much…aha…no wonder you’re so NGH! Good at…the guqin…ah!”

“…could you keep your voice down?” Wangji muttered, mostly from embarrassment. 

“Ngh! Not really…he he…but don’t stop what you’re doing…”

Equally unable to hold himself back, Wangji sighed and continued teasing Wei Wuxian’s entrance until it was twitching and clamping down on him, seemingly begging for more. He could hardly hear his own thoughts over the pounding of his heart as he unbuttoned his pants and stroked his length a few times with his moist fingers. 

Wei Wuxian turned back to look admiringly up at him, biting his own knuckle in anticipation. “Lan Zhan…” he moaned.

Wangji’s eyes fluttered, his cock beginning to ache. He had a moment of fear at what might happen to his mind if he lost himself inside this adorable creature. But the fear was greatly outweighed by every cell in his body telling him he needed to be inside him now. He placed one hand around Wei Wuxian’s plump hips to steady him. Slowly, he pressed inside his twitching entrance.

Wei Wuxian whimpered and buried his face in the couch at the undoubtedly slightly painful sensation of being stretched by Wangji’s size. It took a while for his body to allow him all the way inside. Wangji was aware of his own panting as he watched his length being slowly enveloped by Wei Wuxian’s hole. The formerly pale flesh began to take on a pink hue from being stretched. Wei Ying’s muscles continued to twitch around him even as he finally was able to press his hips all the way against his round and pert ass. Wangji let out a heavy sigh, caught between wanting to savor this moment and the desire to ram himself inside at a breathtaking pace. 

He thought Wei Wuxian looked somewhat lonely as he trembled against the couch. He leaned down and gathered him up in his arms so he was supporting the weight of his upper body. It felt incredible to have Wei Wuxian’s whole soft, trembling body pressed against his own. 

Wei Wuxian whimpered sweetly and rubbed his face against the inner curve of Wangji’s neck. He caressed his cheek and placed a pleading kiss on the opposite one. “…cover my mouth if I scream…” he whispered against his skin.

Wangji’s vision nearly went dark as all the blood in his body seemed to rush to his cock. He breathed out a harsh breath, trying to regain some composure. But when he pulled out just a little, his body had reached its limit and he rammed it back deeply inside his love. 

“Ah!” Wei Wuxian cried out in surprise at the suddenness of the movement. After a trembling breath, he let out a sweet moan. “Oh…yes…I knew it…the proper ones are always…the roughest…behind closed doors-AH!”

That was about the last coherent thing he managed to say as Wangji finally let loose and allowed his hips to pound into Wei Wuxian’s soft and welcoming entrance. Wei Wuxian did indeed soon start to let out high-pitched moans, seemingly unable to stop them himself. So even though he feared his brain would explode from so lascivious an action, Wangji obeyed his suggestion, and wrapped his fingers firmly over Wei Wuxian’s wailing mouth.

“Mmmm!” Wei Wuxian screamed even louder, his entrance tightening. Wangji gasped at the sensation. Could it be that Wei Wuxian liked being treated a little roughly?

For the moment too suffused in blissful sensations to think of doing anything else, Wangji thrust over and over as deeply as he could inside him, all the while feeling shocks of pleasure up his spine from the high-pitched cries reverberating against his hand. Wei Wuxian’s cries only increased in intensity the longer this went on. Wangji bent back his head somewhat worriedly to see his face, only to be further turned on by the bliss clearly visible in Wei Wuxian’s rolled-back and fluttering eyes. Wangji leaned in close and lightly bit his ear.

Wei Wuxian screamed, his legs trembling as he twitched desperately against Wangji’s body. He was so lithe and fragile-seeming, but he took Wangji so deeply and with so much visible pleasure. Wangji couldn’t stop. 

“Hah…Wei Ying…” he panted against the back of his neck.

“Mmmgh…mgh…mmmmm!” Wei Wuxian screamed against his hand, his own hands desperately and half-heartedly raising up to try and touch Wangji, but continuously losing their strength and flopping back down. 

Wangji gasped, overwhelmed by how erotic his love was. He had lived so much of his life feeling guilt about any sexual thoughts, which conversely resulted in his rare fantasies becoming quite intense. To that existence, Wei Wuxian was like a heavenly gift. He closed his eyes and silently praised him, kissing and then sinking his teeth into the skin of his neck. 

“MMMM!” Wei Wuxian screamed the loudest of all, as he felt heat begin to flood inside him. 

Lan Wangji gasped, grunting softly as he bit down even harder without realizing. He had never known pleasure like this. It came in waves, rushing down every inch of his body. Warmth filled him, augmented by every twitch of Wei Wuxian’s hole around his cock. His dick continued to twitch and flood Wei Wuxian’s insides for long seconds even as the sensations slowly faded, and his bites turned gradually back into affectionate kisses. 

He started to pull out, realizing it was not good for Wei Wuxian’s health to come inside him, when Wei Ying gasped and clung desperately to his hips to stop them. “Wait…don’t move now…if you move…I…I…AHHH!”

Wei Wuxian gasped and despite his own words, bucked back his hips against Wangji’s. His loud and thrilling cries rose up again as his entrance clamped down hard on Wangji, making him gasp too. He held Wei Wuxian’s gyrating body in his arms to soothe him as he seemed to be losing it a little. 

“Ah…ah….AHH! Lan Zhan…it won’t stop…help me…!” he whimpered.

Wangji clasped his mouth in his hand again and kissed his cheek. “Shh,” he said softly. He pulled Wei Wuxian close and then sat on the bed so his love was in his lap, Wangji’s cock still deeply inside him. “It’s just a dry orgasm. I’ll hold you until it stops.”

“Mmmm…mmmm…” Wei Wuxian whimpered over and over as he twitched on Wangji’s cock. 

It took several minutes of patience before the pleasure in Wei Wuxian’s body at last started to fade. But when it finally did, Wei Wuxian began kissing and licking at the palm of Wangji’s hand, shocking him into releasing his mouth. 

“Heh heh…” Wei Wuxian chuckled, though still seeming somewhat dazed from cumming so hard. “You’re trouble, Lan Wangji. When your cock’s inside me I feel like doing anything you say.” He kissed his cheek several times as if in gentle worship. “Don’t be too mean and make me do anything illegal, huh?”

“…does sex with you usually involve breaking the law?”

Wei Wuxian laughed uproariously at this for some time, until Wangji grew annoyed with him and thrust his now hard cock inside him again. Instantly Wei Wuxian turned obedient once more, and that afternoon passed in a pleasant haze for both of them. 

Quite frankly overjoyed with this new development in his life, Wangji asked if Wei Wuxian would join him in picking up Xichen from work that night. Rather than answer, in yet another move that threatened to break Wangji’s heart with sweetness, Wei Wuxian giggled and jumped up to cling to his body like a cat in a tree. Now knowing his feelings, Lan Wangji was unable to be annoyed by such behavior. He said nothing as he prepared to leave with a delighted Wei Wuxian still clinging to him. 

They reached the club and knocked on the back entrance, preparing to ask for Xichen. But at first no one answered. The door opened moments later, and though it was indeed the beautiful Peili, her cheeks were once again stained with tears. She saw them but quickly ran away, hiding her face. 

“Xiong-zhang!” Wangji cried, alarmed. 

And then another person emerged from the door, a familiar young man dressed in shades of purple. “Wait…Xichen!” he cried, but saw she was already quite far away.

Wei Wuxian gaped at him. “Jiang Cheng?!”

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending   
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	20. Puppy Love (Requited)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the brief interlude, but the next chapter will sort out what happened with Jiang Cheng and Lan Peili. 😊 For now, please enjoy some more of Wen Ning’s puppy love for Jin Ling. <3

When Wen Ning returned to his small cabin outside the Cloud Recesses that night, there was an angry young clan leader waiting for him with folded arms and an outraged expression. 

Wen Ning blinked at him in surprise. But Jin Ling’s anger only seemed to increase at his doe-eyed expression. Without even saying a word, Jin Ling took a book that he had been holding and threw it right into Wen Ning’s face with a loud FWAP. Wen Ning didn’t even try to dodge.

He caught the book as it fell open in his hands, glancing down at the contents curiously. When he saw the explicit drawings of two men engaged in obvious sexual activity, he fumbled with the item and nearly dropped it. When he had composed himself again, holding the book out awkwardly, he looked up at Jin Ling with an expression of total confusion.

“I know you lied to me!” Jin Ling said, his cheeks growing red with anger, though Wen Ning couldn’t help but find this cute. 

“Lied?” Wen Ning asked with concern. “Did I?”

“You said what we did was s-…sex.”

“Y-…yes…?” 

“Well what’s that then?!” the young clan leader demanded, jabbing his finger at the book in Wen Ning’s hands. “We didn’t do anything like that! I didn’t even take my clothes off! Let alone put…put…” His face exploded in red and he seemed unable to complete his sentence. 

“Ah,” Wen Ning said, finally catching the drift. 

So Jin Ling had obviously gotten a hold of some yellow books of his own, and realized that most people would probably not refer to dry humping as sex. For someone as proud as him, likely the simple fact that he had misunderstood was just as mortifying as Wen Ning not being entirely honest with him. Wen Ning nodded slightly, opening the book again to cautiously examine the contents. 

“Yes…it’s true, most people find this way more appealing,” he said softly, looking down at the illustrations. “But there are many ways to have sex.”

Jin Ling’s anger suddenly seemed to fade and his eyes caught a sparkle in them. He swallowed nervously and looked down in embarrassment, folding his arms again. “There are…many?”

Wen Ning nodded. “These types of books usually only portray the most common ones.”

“Oh…”

Idly flipping through the book, Wen Ning asked curiously, “Master Jin…did you come to yell at me, or because you would like me to do these things for you?”

Jin Ling looked as if he might cry from embarrassment, but he glanced toward Wen Ning’s feet. He murmured softly, “…it can’t be both?”

Wen Ning couldn’t help the way his heart melted at Jin Ling’s proud yet innocent mannerisms. Though working hard to control his own desire, he nodded, stepping a little closer. He held the book back out toward Jin Ling. 

“Then, Young Master…can you show me which one you prefer?”

Jin Ling watched Wen Ning’s face cautiously, still looking somewhat tearful. “You…really don’t mind?”

Wen Ning hurriedly shook his head. “I’d do anything you asked me to, Master Jin.”

Jin Ling carefully took back the book. Wen Ning found it quite endearing the way he quickly found the correct page and shoved it back toward him. The Ghost General accepted the book and perused the open page. 

It was an image of two men, one quite feminine, one standing behind the other and leaning over a desk. It was obvious the way their bodies were connected. To his own shame, Wen Ning was already feeling a certain tightness in his trousers from imagining Jin Ling becoming aroused by this. 

“And…you would like to be which one?” Wen Ning asked softly.

Jin Ling bristled. “You have to ask me that?!”

“I want to do anything that might make you happy.”

The teenager quickly turned away to hide his blush. He poked at Wen Ning’s dining table sullenly with his index finger as he gathered his words. “The…one in front…”

Wen Ning’s chest ached at how cute he was, but he merely nodded obediently. “May I hold you? And…also kiss you?”

Jin Ling made an angry noise. “You think I came here for sex and I can’t stand a little kissing?! Do whatever! Stop…being so wimpy…” His vibrant blush returned as he helplessly murmured, half under his breath, “You’re…only appealing when you’re manly.”

Wen Ning blinked, struggling to maintain his self-control as a whole array of feelings for Jin Ling hit him equally in his crotch and his heart. Encouraged by these words, he let go of a little of his insecurity and fear, and raised a cold hand to caress Jin Ling’s cheek. 

“A-Ling…” he said gently.

Jin Ling shivered and leaned his head adorably into Wen Ning’s hand. But he obediently looked up again as Wen Ning tilted his head back in preparation to kiss him. Wen Ning savored the slightly panicked gasp of the high voice against his lips. And then he repeatedly and gently pressed his lips to this poor soul whose life he had irrevocably damaged, kissing as a dog would when seeking to comfort its master. 

Jin Ling’s legs soon lost strength beneath him and he collapsed against Wen Ning, who supported him without thinking. His body was so slender and fragile in his arms. He was still very small and slight for his age, much like his mother. It stirred Wen Ning deeply simply to be able to hold him and give him tender affection this way. 

When he released his lips, Jin Ling gasped in breath and clung to Wen Ning’s chest, sweetly laying his head against his shoulder. “I…can’t stand properly…” he complained softly.

Wen Ning nodded and helped him lean over the dining table, which had the added advantage of presenting his petite posterior where it was easy to see and touch. One by one, Wen Ning removed Jin Ling’s lower garments, until his ivory-colored and peach-like rear was on full display, trembling slightly from cold and from embarrassment. In his hunger for him, Wen Ning nearly indulged in worshipful licking as he wished to, but realized his corpse body probably produced insufficient saliva for that to feel pleasant for Jin Ling.

“Just a moment,” Wen Ning said, then quickly ducked away.

“Eh?!” Jin Ling yelped, mortified to be left in this extremely vulnerable position. 

But Wen Ning returned in moments with the lamp he normally kept at his bedside. He coated his fingers well in the lamp oil. 

“Master Jin. Did you know the first time one is entered, it can be painful?”

Jin Ling’s lips parted as he lay on the table, half turned toward Wen Ning. “That’s not just for women?” he asked worriedly.

Wen Ning shook his head. “Actually, to use this part takes extra preparation,” he said, pointing to a specific area in the erotic book, still left open before Jin Ling’s eyes on the table. Jin Ling swallowed. “But just the same as with a vagina, the preparation itself can feel pleasant. It may still be uncomfortable, though, so before we start I need you to promise me.”

“P-…promise?”

Wen Ning sighed softly. He raised his free hand to lovingly stroke Jin Ling’s hair from his face, thinking about how this boy’s relationships with others might have been different if his parents were alive. He was so handsome, and becoming quite a talented cultivator. Cultivators of all genders would likely have clamored for his attention, as they had done for his father. Wen Ning could not help from leaning down and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. 

“Promise,” he murmured gently, “that you will ask me to stop the moment you feel uncomfortable or scared. Even if it feels like giving up. I’m only your dog, I don’t matter, so you must consider your own feelings first, always. Will you promise?”

Jin Ling’s eyes fluttered as he heard these words. And moments after Wen Ning finished speaking, his eyes grew moist and red. “You don’t really think that,” he whimpered, turning his face away toward the table. “You just feel guilty.”

With a pang in his chest, Wen Ning helplessly kissed every part of Jin Ling’s face that he could reach, even pulling him up slightly so he could reach his lips. Even as Jin Ling let out soft whimpers of uncertainty, Wen Ning bestowed a rain of comforting kisses, until finally Jin Ling’s body relaxed in his arms. 

As he drew back just a little, Wen Ning held his face covetously. “Guilt cannot make me feel this,” he said, pressing his hard cock against Jin Ling’s hip and causing him to gasp. “Please, A-Ling. Promise you will not let me hurt you.”

Jin Ling’s eyes, when they looked up at him this time, were filled with a naïve desire for both physical and emotional comfort. He meekly lowered his gaze. “…promise…” he mumbled, surprisingly obediently.

Wen Ning kissed his cheek again and whispered, “Thank you.”

While continuing to comfort him by stroking his hair and watching his face for his reactions, Wen Ning used his oiled fingers to massage Jin Ling’s entrance. Jin Ling jumped at the cold touch. 

“It’s lamp oil,” Wen Ning assured him. “This part doesn’t get wet. It’s to make it feel better, and make sure the friction doesn’t hurt you.”

Jin Ling didn’t seem to completely understand, but soon his expression softened and he even closed his eyes a little as the movements of Wen Ning’s fingers began to feel pleasant. Wen Ning’s heart ached to see the embarrassed pleasure on his face, as he bit his lip and partly tried to hide it. But as Wen Ning massaged the entrance with more and more pressure, Jin Ling’s small hips began to unconsciously rise up to meet his movements. 

“Ngh…nh…” Jin Ling let out soft moans as he grew used to the sensation. 

But Wen Ning worriedly pressed entreating kisses to his lip to get him to stop biting. “Don’t hurt yourself,” he whispered. “It’s okay to make noise. No one else comes out here. I’m the only one who will hear you.”

Jin Ling whimpered again, but he did stop biting his lip. “…it’s still shameful…” he insisted.

“Is it? I love the sounds you make,” Wen Ning murmured.

Jin Ling flushed badly and whirled away in the opposite direction. Wen Ning kissed his hair this time instead. 

“I think it’s soft enough. I’ll try putting one finger in,” Wen Ning said against his hair.

Jin Ling looked apprehensive but managed a small nod.

The first finger slid in only slowly. Jin Ling was very tight, especially compared to Wei Wuxian. But to Wen Ning’s pleasant surprise, with only one finger inside, Jin Ling’s reactions were already adorably pleasurable. 

“Nghah!” he cried as Wen Ning’s knuckles bumped against his entrance. And again as his finger slid slowly back out and performed the same action once more. Though still uncertain, Jin Ling’s voice rose with more and more pleasure the longer Wen Ning explored his insides this way. 

“Does it feel good, A-Ling?” Wen Ning asked.

Jin Ling only whimpered and cutely enclosed Wen Ning’s free hand in his own. He further seemed to be trying to break Wen Ning’s heart by letting his cheek rest against his hand too, all while making an embarrassed expression of pleasure. Wen Ning kissed his cheek and temple, taking his time in making sure Jin Ling’s body slowly opened up for him.

When he could move the first finger in and out freely, he said softly, “I’m going to add another one.”

Jin Ling’s eyes softly fluttered open. “…how long do you need to do this?” he murmured.

Wen Ning worriedly glanced down at his own achingly hard cock. “At least three fingers,” he said. 

Jin Ling whimpered against the table. “This is torture,” he whined.

Wen Ning gasped. “It feels bad?” he asked worriedly.

The younger man quickly turned away. But in compassion for Wen Ning’s worry, he murmured softly, “The opposite.” And moments later, with barely any volume at all, “I want to cum.”

“Oh,” Wen Ning sighed with relief. “All right.”

“Ngh…it’s not enough…” Jin Ling complained.

But Wen Ning had already knelt on the ground. He crouched underneath Jin Ling’s body and as he pressed a second finger to his entrance, without warning swallowed Jin Ling’s cock inside his cold mouth. 

“Oohhh!” Jin Ling made an odd but cute noise, his doe-like legs trembling against Wen Ning’s shoulders. 

Wen Ning did not hesitate to swallow him over and over, trying to compensate for how cold his mouth was with stimulating movements. Fortunately, whatever he was doing seemed to be working because Jin Ling hardly seemed to notice having two fingers inside him as he enthusiastically bucked his hips toward Wen Ning’s mouth. Barely moments after he had started, Wen Ning felt hot, bitter liquid shoot down his throat. He sucked down to make sure to drain every drop, to make Jin Ling feel as good as possible.

The poor teenager slumped, trembling against the table, his breath coming in harsh pants and his legs barely able to hold his own meager weight. Wen Ning kept his two fingers inside him but stood to hold him under his ribs and give him comforting kisses on his cheek and forehead. 

“Rest for a moment,” he said gently. “Or if you like, we can stop here for today.”

Jin Ling still seemed dazed for a few moments. But eventually he glanced up toward Wen Ning with an expression that was hard to read. He pursed his lips and his brows knitted in frustration. 

“A-Ling?” Wen Ning asked, wondering what was wrong.

Reluctantly, Jin Ling mumbled, “Last time…you didn’t…”

“Didn’t…?”

“Ngh…you know…”

Wen Ning had never been particularly quick to interpret subtle cues, but the situation they were currently in helped him to figure it out on this occasion. “Ah,” he said softly. “I’m all right. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“But!” Jin Ling cried, suddenly pushing himself up to his elbows. “If…if we really were lovers…! Then…then…that wouldn’t be good…if it were just me…”

Even though he seemed so embarrassed he almost choked on his own words, Jin Ling was so sweet to worry about Wen Ning. Someone he had every right to hate. Even if this were only a phase for him, even if he never let Wen Ning near him again after this, that would be all right, he thought. He wrapped the trembling boy in his arms, resting his face against the back of his neck. 

“A-Ling. Whoever it is, someday, that you truly love, you’re going to make them very happy. I hope you know how special you are.”

Jin Ling whimpered slightly and he might have even sniffled a little, but soon he squeezed down slightly on Wen Ning’s fingers, seeming to be asking for more. Wen Ning was happy to oblige him. 

Two fingers soon turned into three, and by this time Jin Ling could not stand without support. His cute, small cock had not gone down after cumming, and seemed to be twitching against Wen Ning’s forearm as he held him with every thrust of his fingers. Wen Ning’s mind was starting to grow fuzzy. Everything about this slender, trembling creature in his arms seemed designed to drive him mad with desire. He began lightly biting and pecking at the skin of Jin Ling’s neck, which also made the younger man jump with pleasure.

“A-are you still all right, A-Ling?” he asked stammered breathlessly.

“…ngh…” Jin Ling whimpered noncommittally. But then, “…feels…good…”

Wen Ning exhaled hard and held him a little tighter. “Then…I’ll try and put it in. All right?”

He was relieved when Jin Ling immediately nodded, as if he had been impatient for this but too shy to ask. Wen Ning panted as he leaned back a little, still supporting Jin Ling under his ribs but looking down fixedly on his small, pink entrance as he slowly dragged his fingers out. He swallowed reflexively as he watched the welcoming hole open and close almost as if hungry for him. If he had still been mortal, he would no doubt have been fighting a nose bleed as he nervously pressed his tip against that small, twitching opening. 

“Ahh…” Jin Ling sighed as he began to press into him. 

Wen Ning exhaled hard once again, and slowly pushed his way inside. Jin Ling let out abrupt, strangled noises until Wen Ning was all the way in. Even then, he barely reacted except to take in quick, uneven breaths. 

Wen Ning felt as if he had come back to life. His cold body felt flooded with heat just to be surrounded in Jin Ling’s warmth. Now fully connected to him, he again couldn’t believe how narrow Jin Ling’s waist was in his hands. He was worried he might break him. How was he even taking him so deeply? In deep admiration of everything about him, he leaned down over him and gave his cheek a lingering kiss. 

“A-Ling…?” he asked, growing worried at how quiet Jin Ling was.

But as he leaned close to him, he realized Jin Ling was unstoppably twitching all over, his mouth wide though with no sound coming out. His pupils were dilated. Wen Ning couldn’t help admiringly kissing his cheek again. 

“I know it’s a lot at first. We can still stop now if it’s too much. A-Ling? Can you hear me?”

After another moment or two of trembling and twitching without a sound, suddenly Jin Ling threw back his head with a loud cry. Wen Ning gasped as he felt him clamp down tightly. And then it was obvious from the way his hips were twitching in Wen Ning’s hands that Jin Ling was cumming again. The teenager collapsed in a trembling heap against the table, drooling slightly. 

Wen Ning swallowed, enraptured by the sight of him. “A-Ling…” he whispered desperately. “Please, tell me…do you want to stop?”

Jin Ling numbly shook his head. “Mno…” he mumbled blearily.

Wen Ning clenched his jaw and closed his eyes tightly to get himself under control, but this sweet and innocent Jin Ling was testing every fiber of his will. He let out a shaking breath and gathered the trembling boy in his arms. 

“All right. Then hang on just a little longer,” he said against his cheek before kissing him softly there. Jin Ling let out a soft noise of pleasure.

But in moments, the small cabin was filled with Jin Ling’s cries as Wen Ning grasped him tightly, just like the drawing he had chosen, and thrust all the way inside him over and over. He tried his best to go slowly, knowing this was a lot of strain on Jin Ling’s fragile body. But gradually his hips moved against his will, chasing the blissful feeling of Jin Ling’s twitching insides. He tasted deeply of his neck as he grasped Jin Ling tightly and pumped inside him.

“A-Ling…” he gasped. He meant to ask him again if he were all right, but no words would form in his brain. The pleasure was too much. “A-Ling…A-Ling…” he grunted, increasing the pace yet again.

Jin Ling let out intermittent noises of both pleasure and confusion, and he too seemed at a loss for words. Unfortunately for him, Wen Ning’s superhuman strength and poor sense of touch also gave him superhuman endurance. Even though it was Jin Ling's first time, they were easily twenty minutes in this position before Wen Ning was even close. By that time Jin Ling was struggling to respond at all, his body quickly going limp in Wen Ning’s arms, after cumming yet again at one point without Wen Ning giving him the slightest break. 

“Ah…A-Ling!” Wen Ning gasped, belatedly just now wondering whether his body was capable of producing cum.

Fortunately for the exhausted Jin Ling, it seemed he could not. He did still hold Jin Ling tighter than ever and thrust lightly inside him as his orgasm gradually faded. As it did, his reason gradually returned to him. 

“A-Ling? A-Ling?” he asked, touching his face with concern. 

Jin Ling whimpered a little, but leaned his head tiredly against Wen Ning’s neck. “…tired…” he whined.

Wen Ning nodded. He slowly pulled out of him and took up a nearby cloth to gently clean the moist areas of Jin Ling’s body before gathering him into his arms. He brought the exhausted young man into his bed and lay him down on his side, covering him in probably too many blankets. But Jin Ling only cutely tugged them up even further until all was hidden but his eyes, closed but still looking somewhat fretful. 

Wen Ning sat on his knees by the side of the bed and watched Jin Ling sleep patiently for hours. 

When Jin Ling eventually grumbled awake later that night, he blinked up at Wen Ning, still sitting with a worried look by the bedside. As his memory of what they had just done came back to him, Jin Ling’s face went bright red and his eyes became moist with tears of frustration. He made an angry noise and buried himself completely in the blankets. He only emerged a moment later to throw Wen Ning’s pillow at him.

It landed with a POFF directly on Wen Ning’s face, who did not even react. “A-Ling?” he asked with concern. “Does…your body hurt?”

Jin Ling whimpered slightly before taking off each of his shoes under the covers and throwing them one after the other at Wen Ning, though only one ended up hitting him. 

“W-was it that bad?” Wen Ning asked, quickly growing panicked.

Jin Ling curled up like a caterpillar under the covers for some time without response. He finally peeked out, only revealing half of his face. “Pervert,” he accused, without context.

Wen Ning guiltily lowered his head, certain he had been too rough. 

“Liar. Malcontent,” Jin Ling continued idly, apparently just listing off every insult he could think of. He didn’t look particularly angry anymore, but the insults continued. “Philanderer…um…pervert.”

Wen Ning blinked. “You said that one already. And ‘philanderer’ is also quite similar.”

“Shut up! Pervert!”

Wen Ning only sighed and lowered his head again, ready to kick himself for how foolish he had been. He only wanted to make Jin Ling happy. How could he give in to his own desires like that?

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I was too rough. Please punish me, Master Jin. You can kick me or beat me, or cut my head off if you like. Whatever will make you feel better.”

Jin Ling made a small noise of irritation, hiding himself in the covers again for a while. But to Wen Ning’s wonder, when he peeked out again, his expression looked quite sweet and innocent. He bunched up some blankets near his mouth as if for comfort, so his next words were so muffled they were difficult to catch. 

“Next time,” he mumbled. “I want to be on top.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending   
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	21. Lan Peili

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiang Cheng struggles with his feelings of attraction for the gender-nonconforming Lan Xichen/Lan Peili.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for transmisogyny, mentions of transphobic violence (no serious injury)

As the presumed heads of two prominent cultivation families, Lan Xichen and Jiang Wanyin had actually met several times, though only casually. But one of their meetings had happened without Jiang Cheng’s awareness. 

When Lan Peili was fifteen, still experimenting with feminine affectations and not yet very skilled at it, she had been walking downtown through the garment district, hoping to be able to buy some prettier clothes without her uncle knowing. In hindsight she should have asked Wangji to come along, but hadn’t told him openly yet about who she was. Naively, she believed that a simple summer dress and some old-fashioned makeup would make her convincing enough, and acted as if she were any other girl on a pleasant day out shopping. At first, it was a feeling of absolute joy and freedom.

But some idle teenagers spotted her. Realized that she wasn’t just a normal girl. When they saw an opening, they shoved her off the main street into an alley. 

They called her words she had barely heard up until that point before. When she tried to get away, they pulled her hair and threw dirt on her, one kicked her in the chest. Despite knowing she was probably stronger than them, she was so shocked and hurt by the nature of the violence that she could barely react except to cry. This only made them laugh. 

As the violence was beginning to escalate, there came a shout from the entrance to the main street. Sounds of running, and then a flash of purple grabbed up the one who had been kicking her. The newcomer crashed his forehead into the offending teenager’s nose with a sickening crunch. Peili gaped in astonishment. The one who had enacted such a violent move couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen himself. 

“What?!” demanded the boy, though wincing in pain from his own headbutt. “You gotta beat a kid up just cause he’s different?! Get a life!”

Jiang Wanyin, for that was who it was who had come to Peili’s rescue, at that moment captured her heart. 

One of the teenagers shoved Jiang Cheng back and cocked his fist in preparation to hit him. Peili acted quickly and took Jiang Cheng by the wrist, running as fast as she could away from them. She did not want to fight them, no matter what. Somehow, it seemed that doing such a thing would only be admitting they were right. 

Peili ran, dragging Jiang Cheng behind her, until both their lungs were aching. Finally, in a park a great distance from the shopping district, they came to a stop. Peili crumpled to her knees in the grass and gazed at the ground listlessly as she caught her breath and tried to take stock. 

The young Jiang Cheng still had his head up and was pacing a bit, keeping an eye out in case the teenagers followed them. Satisfied they had not, he bent down and grasped his knees to catch his breath too. 

“You…should be more careful,” he panted, toward Peili. “If you’re going to dress like a girl…be a bit more convincing. Or don’t go alone. Ah, I’m Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Cheng.”

Peili smiled helplessly, her heart aching even further than it had already. “…Peili.”

Jiang Cheng nodded, and in her memory Peili had imagined he looked at her a little more closely and with interest for a moment. Having more or less caught his breath, he sighed. But then, “Crap!” he said suddenly. “I left Wei Wuxian alone! He’s going to set something on fire!”

With that, the brave kid ran back the way they had come, fearlessly back toward where the teenagers might still be, all out of worry for his younger sibling. Peili’s teenage heart was still fluttering long after he left. She thought it was wrong to have feelings like this about someone noticeably younger, but no matter how many times she told herself that afterward, Jiang Cheng’s snarl as he defended her kept floating up in her mind, filling her stomach with butterflies.

…

She got quite a shock when, years later, the same rescuer appeared in an attempt to protect her from her own brother. This time, rather than a brave snarl, a sympathetic look and a silk handkerchief had greeted her distress. Her heart flew into her throat at the thought that this most important person might recognize her, even though he hadn’t when she had been much less feminine years ago. 

And then that same nervous heart sank as a kind soul, who was only attempting to be respectful, addressed her using her other title. She offered a regretful smile. 

“Lan Xichen, Lan Huan,” he said, returning Wei Wuxian’s bow and confirming his guess. “Oh, but…here I’m Peili.”

Xichen could not help from glancing at Jiang Cheng’s face out of the corner of his eye. But that was foolishly optimistic. Confusion turned to shock, and then something alike to horror. Xichen lowered his head, trying to tell himself it might not be as bad as he thought, but his hands trembled as fear flooded his heart. 

This had in fact been one of his greatest fears, after ruining Wangji’s reputation. That Jiang Cheng’s tolerance had been a brief innocence of his youth. That the world would have instructed him on proper gender norms since then, which neither Xichen nor Peili exactly fit.

It was torture sitting next to him that evening while mostly Peili and Wei Wuxian talked. Even worse as the group divided into pairs and headed toward their respective homes. Peili was terrified of what Jiang Cheng might say once they were alone, only agreeing out of consideration for the romance that was obviously blossoming between Wangji and Master Wei. 

“Is this…an everyday thing for you?” Jiang Cheng muttered as they walked down the dark street together.

Peili’s chest felt tight. She didn’t want to speak, in case it made him even more disillusioned. But her politeness forced her to reply softly, “Oh no. Actual violence is rare.”

“How rare?”

“Once every…few months I suppose?”

Jiang Cheng’s brows drew together in torment. Though Peili was afraid he would criticize her, what came out next was a voice thick with both anger and worry. “Why isn’t there anyone there to protect you?”

“…as I told Wangji, normally there are. It’s only the VIP rooms where-”

“Why do you go there then?! You like being abused?!” Jiang Cheng demanded.

Peili froze, barely able to respond. “I…” she forced herself to answer eventually. “The hourly rate for the VIP rooms is triple what it is in other areas,” she murmured meekly. “And, if our rankings and requests go down, we become less desirable as companions…”

Jiang Cheng sighed irritably. “I can help,” he said abruptly. 

Peili blinked. “Help? I…but…what do you mean?”

The young master’s jaw clenched and Peili briefly feared an outpouring of anger. Sullenly glancing toward her feet, he explained in a growl, “Obviously. I can help by patronizing your shop, and requesting you.”

A hot flush of shame reached Peili’s cheeks and she nearly stopped walking. She shook her head quickly. “I couldn’t…ask you to do that. Master Jiang, your reputation…”

“Confidentiality waivers. That’s what you said, right?” Jiang Cheng interrupted.

“…yes…”

“Then shut up and let me help you.”

Peili felt too conflicted to respond, and in the end, Jiang Cheng saw her home without her being able to outright refuse his offer. 

That night, Xichen took longer than usual to remove his makeup. His fingers kept slowing each time he repeated the scene in his mind, trying to ascertain what might have been going through Jiang Cheng’s thoughts as he made that noble offer. It was too tempting to think that his heroic nature from when he was younger simply hadn’t changed. And yet…how nice that would be. He told himself over and over that that was the best case scenario; he didn’t deserve to wish for any more.

After that, Jiang Cheng came to be a regular sight on the weekends at Xichen’s work. The first few times, he requested Peili to the VIP room, sipped oolong tea and barely spoke. But once they had gotten used to one another’s presence, his attitude did seem to soften quite a lot. He listened to Xichen’s stories, and even his occasional flute-playing, with interest and appreciation. Soon it really felt like they were good friends.

Peili was more and more open about being pleased to see Jiang Cheng when he came. She could have imagined it, but it seemed like Jiang Cheng sometimes smiled around her too. Sadly, on one occasion, she got ahead of herself. 

“Wei Wuxian is finally studying diligently. He was the first to finish the final today,” Jiang Cheng grumbled into his tea. 

Peili just chuckled, knowing full well that the sweet young man was already entirely devoted to Wangji.

“Honestly, I pity your brother,” Jiang Cheng further sneered. “What could he see in Wei Wuxian?”

“Master Jiang…are you jealous?”

“Of who?!” Jiang Cheng demanded. 

“Well, Master Wei’s good fortune in love perhaps. Is it possible you resent him because you lack confidence yourself?” Peili asked with concern.

Jiang Cheng looked to the ground with a heavy frown, shifting his jaw. He did not deny it, but Peili should have been more cautious, as she could tell the anger in his expression was real.

Instead of heeding the warning in his expression, she laughed gently, placing a hand on his knee. “You needn’t be worried. You’re a wonderful man, not to mention adorable.”

Jiang Cheng jerked his knee back. Xichen blinked in shock at the suddenness of the action. With his face turned away, Jiang Cheng muttered, “It’s…weird if you do things like that. I don’t like being touched by men.”

A small sliver of ice seemed to work its way into the core of Xichen’s heart. Unfortunately, at first he was too trusting, too reliant on what he thought was a beautiful friendship. Instead of accepting the fate that he had feared and tried to prepare himself for, he instead tried to keep hoping that he was wrong.

“But…I’m not a man,” Peili whispered falteringly, trying to smile. She had been told she looked most beautiful when she smiled, though right now even trying to felt useless. “In my heart…most of the time, I’m a girl.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, driving the sliver of ice in Xichen’s heart even deeper. 

“Are you kidding? Look at yourself.”

At that point, Xichen’s ears started to ring. Old wounds became reopened. Words she thought she had forgotten became thrown at her all afresh. Deviant. Sick. Monster. Failed man. Incomplete woman. Failed human. 

He noticed his vision was blurry before he realized he was crying. For a moment he simply sat in shock beside Jiang Cheng, who wasn’t looking at him and couldn’t see what was happening to him as a result of those six, casually uttered words. Trembling and feeling he had somehow left his own body, Xichen obeyed the bitter instruction and looked down at himself. 

Painted nails on angular, masculine hands. An overly gaudy dress which did little to hide the broadness of his shoulders or flatness of his chest. And in the teardrops that fell onto his dress and hands, traces of color from mascara. Mascara? On a man? How disgusting. A man’s tears? How pathetic. 

The couch shifted beside him as Jiang Cheng cast a worriedly look back at him when he was silent for so long. When he saw the state of him, Jiang Cheng took in a sharp breath. 

“Xichen…” he said quickly, reaching out for him. 

Xichen’s body flooded with panic at the thought of being touched by him. The more they touched, surely, the more Jiang Wanyin would be reminded that Xichen was a freak. He didn’t think. He ran. 

He was barely aware of his surroundings as he ran out into the night. He did see Wangji and Wei Wuxian, apparently arrived to pick him up, but he couldn’t speak to them if he wanted to. 

Normally he changed at work, so running out into the night dressed as Peili would normally frighten him. But he couldn’t stay anywhere near where Jiang Cheng was. He didn’t want anyone to see him. He felt like a painted clown. He ran straight home, closed and locked the door behind him and sank to the floor, finally starting to come to terms with what had just happened. 

He was surprisingly calm at first, though tears were still falling as he sat there in the doorway. This was no surprise, he told himself, it was just a little painful. A kind man, just trying to help out another future head of a cultivation family, had been risking his reputation simply out of the goodness of his heart. He even seemed to treat Xichen as a friend. But that kind act had been ruined by Xichen getting greedy, thinking too much of himself, actually believing for a moment that it would be all right for him to have feelings for a normal man. 

He took off each sign of femininity one by one, feeling self-disgust with each one as it came newly into his vision. After his makeup, he removed his nail polish. Stripped completely bare, he stood, barefoot in his own bedroom. He walked up to the full length mirror and forced himself to stare at the masculine body there. Pushed his hair back to hide the parts that still showed curls. 

Yes, he assured himself. A man. Hard. Rough. Awkward. Straight angles, long limbs, and one noticeably masculine body part. A man. Nothing more. Not beautiful. Not an object of men’s affection. 

After that night, Lan Xichen didn’t leave his apartment for over a week. When he did, it was only because Lan Wangji insisted he move in to his place while looking for another job. Unable to bear the thought of expressing any femininity again, his old job became impossible to continue. Since he barely looked outside his apartment, either before or after moving, he missed the forlorn figure who could often be found waiting for hours at a time outside his building.

…

Jiang Wanyin had had his first crush quite early, at twelve. One sunny afternoon, when he was out in town with Wei Wuxian, he caught sight of someone he thought at first was a beautiful girl. It was her smile that nearly killed his prepubescent heart. He had never seen such a graceful yet joyous expression. His eyes followed her as she walked, and then as, unfortunately, the local miscreants decided to have a problem with her.

It was only then, as they started shoving her, that Jiang Cheng realized why they were bullying her. Or rather, him. In a child’s mind, justice was justice, and a little thing like gender norms could be easily forgotten. Jiang Cheng never normally went out of his way to start fights, but he was filled with anger as he headbutted the one who had kicked the beautiful boy.

The boy saved him too, and afterward Jiang Cheng was looking forward to getting to know him better. But he had left Wei Wuxian alone. He knew by now even taking his eye off his little brother for a moment was enough for him to wreak havoc. He came back with an exhausted sigh to find the scrawny Wei Wuxian wobbling on his feet over the entire group of teenagers, who were moaning on the ground. With a rapidly forming black eye and visible blood in his mouth, Wei Wuxian turned to Jiang Cheng with a grin.

Life went on and was so vibrant living with Wei Wuxian that Jiang Cheng nearly forgot this incident. But there was one subtle impact that it made on him, which at first he didn’t associate with this event. He found himself strongly attracted to somewhat masculine women. And, though he dare not admit it, even more so to feminine men. As he got older, he realized that society was not accepting of this. People who broke gender norms were considered “deviant,” and those who were attracted to such things as “perverts.” He confined these desires to being reluctantly dragged out every now and then to the gay bar district by Wei Wuxian.

He knew Lan Xichen from having met him a few times at clan functions. He never expected to find him here, where Jiang Cheng contained his deepest desires. Even more upsetting, the moment he set eyes on the ethereally beautiful Lan Peili, Jiang Cheng’s heart had been stollen even more thoroughly than when he was a kid. Realizing that she was a man, and someone he knew and respected, he didn’t know what to do.

Jiang Cheng’s first reaction to almost any dilemma, worry or uncertainty, was anger. Even his expressions of love were often confined to anger, just like his mother. So of course having his sexuality questioned, even by himself, had a similar result. Jiang Cheng would say anything in anger. An inferiority complex from growing up with Wei Wuxian expressed itself in both a talent and propensity for attacking people’s weak points in an argument. He only felt his rage dim when he felt that he had “won,” which usually meant hurting someone. He hated this about himself, but this too only became further fuel for feeling inferior.

When he felt desire surging inside him from feeling the beautiful Lan Peili’s hand touch his knee, he reacted, of course, in anger.

“Are you kidding? Look at yourself.”

He hadn’t considered these words at all before he said them. As usual, hurtful things just naturally popped into his head from much experience of trial and error. He hadn’t even been aware, before they came out, that it had been a long time since he had been openly hostile toward Lan Xichen. Xichen had been so kind and accepting of his presence these past few weeks that his anger had been dimming, almost to the point that he would happily sit in his presence all day.

Lan Peili was unerringly polite. Even when Jiang Cheng was somewhat rude, she would normally only let out a soft chuckle and change the subject. But after he said these words, there was only silence. Soon Jiang Cheng began to feel a chasm opening up between them in that silence, and fear rose up in his chest. He cautiously turned to look.

And then his heart broke. He saw Lan Xichen doing indeed what he had just instructed. Looking down at himself. At the hands that Jiang Cheng had admired from the first time he saw him. At the beautiful dress that made his heart ache to look at it. At the drops of color from his makeup now dotting those beautiful things, as tears flowed steadily down his cheeks. Only then did Jiang Cheng realize the impact of what he had done with just a few words.

“Xichen…” he said worriedly, hoping to deny these words and comfort him. He cautiously reached out toward Xichen’s hand. 

But with a small gasp of fear, Xichen flew away from him. Seeing such a beautiful creature in pain, as a result of nothing but Jiang Cheng’s own insecurity and bad personality, he had never felt lower than he did at that moment. He was frozen for too long in self-disgust, and by the time he tried to run after her, she was nearly out of sight down the street. 

“Xiong-zhang!” Lan Wangji’s worried voice was still echoing down the alley as Jiang Cheng emerged. 

Even worse, “Jiang Cheng?!” Wei Wuxian demanded in shock when he saw him. 

Jiang Cheng buried his face in his hands. He crouched down to the ground, unable to bear the shame of explaining what had happened. 

…

While looking for more serious work, Lan Xichen took a part time job as a calligraphy tutor, and found he enjoyed that work very much. Though perhaps not as fulfilling as his old job, it was quiet and meditative, and his pupils were all diligent and bright. It allowed him to feel wholesome, to feel he was finally fitting in with society’s expectations of him. Even if each day left him feeling somewhat cold and empty. 

Late afternoon one day, after his last student had left, and Xichen was taking his time in cleaning up to prepare to go home, he noticed someone standing in the doorway. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized who it was. 

He slowly straightened and offered a polite smile. “Master Jiang,” he said, as if nothing at all had happened between them. 

Jiang Cheng was looking at him as if his dog had died. His eyes briefly flicked up and down Xichen’s body, inadvertently making him feel even worse than the last time he had seen him. Even though his current appearance was more “right,” it was also even further from anything that a normal man like Jiang Cheng would be attracted to. 

Xichen cleared his throat to cover an urge to exhale in anxiety. “What can I do for you?” he asked, trying to control his tone.

Jiang Cheng’s gaze slowly lowered. He looked defeated. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

Xichen’s lips parted in surprise. “Whatever for?”

“…coming here so suddenly, first of all.”

Xichen chuckled. “Not at all. I have finished with work for the day and have no other commitments. Would you care to sit?”

Jiang Cheng looked uncertain and hesitated, but eventually looked down again. “I won’t stay long.”

Xichen felt a cold dread rising in the depths of his stomach. Jiang Cheng’s phrasing just now made it sound like he had something else to apologize for. Based on his expression, it was something bad indeed. What could he have done? But nothing bad had happened to Xichen since they had last seen one another, at least that he knew of. The only thing he could think was that perhaps Jiang Cheng had revealed his identity as Peili to someone, in which case the effects might be much more drawn out. 

Even more difficult for Xichen, at this moment, was the realization that even though it was painful to see him, it felt incredibly cold and lonely to think he would be leaving again soon. He merely nodded and waited for Jiang Cheng to state whatever his business was, gesturing for him to enter if he liked.

Jiang Cheng did take two steps inside and then stopped. It was at this point that Xichen noticed he was carrying something. “I…don’t have any aesthetic sense, but I asked my sister for advice,” he mumbled, while Xichen wondered what he was talking about. “So…well…I won’t be offended if you throw it away or burn it, but…”

He held a shopping bag from an expensive store up to his chest for a moment, hesitating. He knelt on the floor before Xichen. While Xichen was still in shock from this, he put the bag down in front of himself. Keeping his head down humbly, he pushed it forward and then returned to waiting grimly on his knees. 

Softly and with a distantly sad expression, he said, “Wei Wuxian told me…that there are no pretty clothes in Lan Wangji’s house. I…just…wanted you to have something. Please accept it.”

Xichen was frozen in shock and distress. He was having trouble understanding Jiang Cheng’s embarrassed and disconnected mumbling. Eventually he realized that, based on what he had said, there were clothes inside this bag. Apparently, pretty ones. Xichen looked down toward the contents and saw flashes of pink, purple and white gossamer and silk. And then his vision became blurred with tears and he couldn’t see any more detail than that. 

Why would Jiang Cheng, of all people, give him such beautiful clothes? None of what was happening made any sense. He didn’t know how to respond, but fortunately Jiang Cheng had kept his eyes trained to the ground since putting the bag down. 

“I just came here to give you that…and to accept whatever retribution you think is appropriate.”

Xichen shook his head weakly in astonishment. “…retribution?” he asked in a broken voice.

Jiang Cheng’s jaw tightened. He nodded, looking like a man awaiting execution. “Please. In my family…when we wrong each other, we usually take it out physically. I’m sure you think that’s barbaric, but it’s what I know. It’s the only way I’ll feel less guilty about…what I said. And maybe you’ll feel less anger too.”

“Anger?” Xichen repeated, feeling colder and colder the more Jiang Cheng spoke, as it slowly dawned on him exactly what he was doing here. He let out a soft, bitter laugh. He shook his head. “Master Jiang…your kindness…is appreciated, but misplaced.”

Jiang Cheng finally looked up worriedly, and his expression twisted as he saw the twin streaks of silver down Xichen’s cheeks. 

Xichen forced a soft smile. “Perhaps…you think I was upset because of what you said. That is not so. Your words only drew my attention to something I’d been…somehow blind to all this time.” Despite his best efforts, his tears were dripping faster down his cheeks the more he tried to explain. “How could I be angry? You were only pointing out something obvious.”

“That’s not true!” Jiang Cheng shouted, getting to his feet. “That’s…ugh, I’m trying to say…I was just scared!”

“Scared?” Xichen repeated helplessly, feeling another cold stab as he thought Jiang Cheng might have been afraid he would sexually assault him.

“Not of you!” Jiang Cheng said loudly. “Of…not being normal. I said it to hurt you. Because…being around you makes me feel…not normal.”

Xichen’s eyes lowered. “Because I’m not normal,” he whispered.

“No!” Jiang Cheng growled and stepped over the bag to clasp Xichen’s face in both hands. Even though he still seemed angry, his hands were shaking. “Because…you’re beautiful. Whether you’re a man or a woman, but especially when you wear pretty clothes,” Jiang Cheng mumbled. “It would be bad enough if you were just beautiful. But you’re so kind. And you’re so strong, but you never use your strength to hurt others. I felt scared because…when you touched me, I wanted to hold you and tell you how much I loved you! I hurt you because I had some dumb idea in my head that my sexual preference was anybody’s business!”

Xichen felt torn in all different directions by this loud and hurried confession. At first he was overwhelmed with joy to be told he was beautiful, especially when wearing pretty clothes. That joy momentarily blinded him to the other unbelievable things that Jiang Cheng had just said. Including, nearly swallowed up toward the end, a particularly stunning confession. 

He closed his eyes, sobbed and helplessly allowed Jiang Cheng to caress his cheeks to comfort him. He raised his hands to gratefully clasp Jiang Cheng’s wrists, but hesitated with fear. 

“It’s…” he whispered. “…I misheard, didn’t I? Jiang Wanyin…you didn’t say you loved me, did you?”

Jiang Cheng looked frustrated as he cast his eyes down. “If you don’t want to hear it, then forget it. I just came to tell you that I was an idiot and I was just spouting garbage that day. And…I went to your shop and everyone’s acting like someone died. I’m definitely not the only one who thinks you’re beautiful, so don’t deprive the world of that because of what some idiot said to you.”

He started to turn away. “Wait!” Xichen stopped him. 

Jiang Cheng did stop, though he really seemed to have been itching to leave ever since he came in. It must have taken all his courage to come here at all, not to mention to buy such girly things and bring them. Xichen was still in disbelief, but couldn’t let him leave like this. If what he said were true, he didn’t ever want him to leave his sight again. 

“I…threw away all my makeup,” he murmured with a wet chuckle from crying. “But, before you go, would you wait for me to try these on?”

Jiang Cheng was still partly looking away, but Xichen could see a blush forming over his cheeks. He folded his arms sullenly. “…there’s makeup in there too,” he grumbled. “But don’t blame me if it’s not right. Even with A-Jie’s help I can’t tell the difference.”

Xichen let out a genuinely happy laugh. He bowed and picked up the bag, thinking about going into another room to change but realizing that there was nothing he needed to hide from the man he loved. 

He set the bag on the calligraphy table. One by one, he shrugged off each item of his own clothing. Jiang Cheng at one point looked up curiously to see him mostly undressed, but quickly looked away again with a blush that was almost noticeably hot even from a distance. 

Xichen took out each item from the bag with reverence, admiring them for a few moments before putting them on. Although beautiful, this type of dress was one that Xichen was a little afraid of. It was form-fitting and he feared his masculine body would be obvious in it. But perhaps what Jiang Cheng was trying to say was that that was all right. 

In minutes, Xichen had finished putting on all the items. His heart pounded as he wondered how he looked, as he only had the small makeup mirror to go by. He turned toward Jiang Cheng and smiled gratefully, but cautiously. 

The dress was white from the waist up, with a vibrant pattern of lotus flowers over one shoulder and sleeve. From the waist down it gradated from white to pink, and then purple, in cloud-like bunches of silk. Even though it revealed the shape of Xichen’s body, it felt extremely feminine. He worriedly gauged Jiang Cheng’s expression to see if his feeling were correct.

Jiang Cheng’s expression was quite blank, surprisingly. He looked as if he had spilled something and was waiting for someone to catch him. He didn’t even seem to be breathing. Eventually, his eyes traveled down to the ground, looking somewhat red. 

He nodded. “A-Jie was right. It really suits you,” he murmured. 

Then he began to turn away once again. Xichen gathered his courage, and this time grasped his hand to stop him. 

“W-…Wanyin…” he said softly. “Does…does it still bother you if I touch you?”

Jiang Cheng sighed harshly. “It never ‘bothered’ me.”

“Then…how about just spending time with me?”

“…I can’t,” Jiang Cheng murmured, sending another sliver of pain through Xichen’s chest. “Especially when you look this pretty. It’s painful.”

“Painful?”

Jiang Cheng lowered his head. “You’ve never been in love with someone unattainable before?” he grumbled. “Surely even you know what that feels like.”

Xichen cautiously began to smile, even as a tear dripped down and once again ruined his makeup. “Once, I thought so. A hero who saved me, heart and soul, with a headbutt. But it turns out I may have been wrong. Not as unattainable as I thought.”

Jiang Cheng turned and looked up at Peili with astonishment. “It really was you!” he whispered. “You…just how much do I have to love you before you’ll be satisfied?!”

Xichen laughed joyously, realizing Jiang Cheng had returned his grasp and was tightly holding his hand in return. “It only seems fair. You were my first love too.”

Jiang Cheng looked up at her with reverence and wonder, looking as if he might cry too. “Is…your makeup the kind that…would get messed up if you kiss someone?”

Peili laughed again. “Yes…but if you don’t mind, then neither do I.”

Jiang Cheng nodded and gazed at her lips, then back up to her eyes, searchingly. He held her cheek sweetly in his free hand, admiring her yet more. He allowed Peili to close the final distance between them, and both closed their eyes as they held one another through a long and lingering first kiss. 

Love scene to follow… <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	22. Jiang Cheng's Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiang Cheng does his best to help Xichen realize how loved he is, even while Lan Wangji seems a tiny bit over-protective.

When they had finally, briefly, managed to sate their need for each other with kisses, Jiang Cheng rested his forehead against Lan Xichen’s and continued lovingly stroking his cheek and lustrous black hair. They both remained in the pleasant afterglow for minutes on end, neither wishing to part. Xichen was shaking with happiness. So much so that Jiang Cheng worriedly commented on the fact.

“Are you all right? You’re trembling…” he murmured softly.

Xichen’s eyes fluttered and he took in a quick breath as his heart ached at the care Jiang Cheng’s voice. He nodded lightly. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Me neither,” Jiang Cheng grumbled reluctantly with a blush.

In all honesty, there were many more things that Xichen had never done which he now had the urge to do with Jiang Wanyin. But despite his great desire, fear still held him back. So instead he settled on another wish he had.

Smiling gently, he asked with hope in his eyes, “Can I introduce you to Wangji properly?”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened and his face seemed to drain of color. “That’s right…Lan-laoshi is your younger brother…”

Xichen nodded with an innocent smile, not quite sure what that reaction meant. 

Jiang Cheng swallowed a little, taking a few deep breaths and looking like a man going into battle. “Right. Sure. I can do that. But, there is one thing…I got some sense of this from that night when I first saw you as Peili, but…exactly how protective is he?”

Xichen tilted his head reluctantly. “It’s best not to worry about that,” he insisted with a gentle smile. “No matter how protective, he is extremely loyal and filially pious. If I say you are the one, he will not object.”

Jiang Cheng did not seem reassured by this, but he did nod and accompany Xichen back to Wangji’s home. The journey there became one of the happiest memories of Xichen’s life. Jiang Cheng held his hand, even in public, for the entire journey. He didn’t even seem embarrassed, in fact he occasionally rubbed his thumb over Xichen’s knuckles, seemingly unconsciously. But when they were within a block of the house, Xichen’s feet came to a stop.

Jiang Cheng looked up with concern. “What is it?”

His heart was beginning to pump loudly in his own ears as he watched Wangji’s house at the end of the street, where one of their neighbors was passing by, walking her dog. He hunched in on himself and stepped back, unconsciously trying to pull out of Jiang Cheng’s grasp.

“I…can’t believe I forgot I’m still dressed like this…I need to change, now.”

Jiang Cheng frowned worriedly. “Why? Your brother and Wei Wuxian already know.”

Xichen hurriedly shook his head, still halfheartedly trying to pull away. “Anyone could be watching. They’ll say things about Wangji…about my whole family…I just-“

“You’re Lan Peili,” Jiang Cheng said firmly, grasping her hand tighter. “Who could have an objection to a sister visiting her younger brother?”

These words parted the clouds in Xichen’s heart, like the sun breaking through a violent spring storm. What had been such a heavy load now suddenly seemed a foolish and petty concern. Peili gazed at the handsome, kind being who still held her hand, and wondered if it was possible to fall any deeper in love with him. 

Jiang Cheng’s cheeks gained a little color as he scratched the back of his neck and added, “Besides…is it wrong to want more people to see you looking so pretty? I also don’t hate the idea that my girlfriend is way more good-looking than Wei Wuxian’s boyfriend.”

Peili covered her face with a helpless laugh, but then grasped Jiang Cheng’s shoulder for comfort. “Even with these low heels you got for me…I’m still too tall to be all that pretty…”

Jiang Cheng sighed loudly. “Now you’re complaining about something I’m envious of too? About time you realized you’re blessed, Peili. If not…”

“If not?”

“…then I’ll kiss you,” Jiang Cheng mumbled with a deep flush of embarrassment.

Peili giggled and leaned gratefully against him. “What a benevolent punishment.” And though her ankles did feel weak and she held Jiang Cheng’s hand tightly, they managed to walk to Wangji’s door.

Lan Wangji greeted them at the door. He did not seem surprised, and in fact seemed to gather the situation instantly from Lan Xichen’s appearance and the fact that a blushing Jiang Cheng was still holding his hand. He bowed his head as he greeted his brother. He glanced at Jiang Cheng but said nothing. 

To them both, vaguely, he said, “Please come in.”

As they entered, a bright voice sounded from the next room, “Lan Zhan? Did you see where my underwear went from when we were doing it this morning? I have to pick them up before your brother gets…”

As he was speaking, Wei Wuxian swung around the corner, leaning off of the partition to the next room. He struggled to produce an embarrassed smile as he caught sight of the two new arrivals. 

“…home. Oh…Jiang Cheng. Hi. Peili-jiejie,” he added with a polite bob of his head. 

Seeming unconcerned with his embarrassment, Lan Wangji quite naturally approached his boyfriend, placed a kiss on his head and said, “I got them already.” He added something else very softly in Wei Wuxian’s ear, which caused the younger man to giggle before becoming conscious of the presence of the other two again.

“Come in, come in!” Wei Wuxian said with a nervous laugh. 

He directed them toward the dining room, which was already supplied with several dishes. But Lan Wangji’s rolled up sleeves and the steam from the kitchen suggested he was still in the middle of cooking when they arrived. 

Just as they were about to go in and sit down, Wangji stopped in the entryway and took another long, impassive look at Jiang Cheng. Xichen swallowed, knowing full well what that stony look meant. But Wangji only said, “I’ll prepare another couples of dishes.”

Xichen sighed with relief when he was gone inside the kitchen. He squeezed Jiang Cheng’s hand and told him sweetly, “Come on.”

Sitting down to chat with them while Wangji was cooking, Wei Wuxian looked absolutely pink with happiness from watching them. “So,” he wheedled, walking a couple of fingers along the table in order to poke Jiang Cheng in the arm. “I take it you two have some news.”

Though Xichen blushed happily, Jiang Cheng flicked Wei Wuxian’s offending finger away. “None of your business,” he grumbled.

“Oh come on! I’m practically your cupid! Tell me the story, Jiang Cheng, don’t leave me in suspense!” Wei Wuxian demanded, hooking his leg into Jiang Cheng’s under the table and trying to pull him closer just to irritate him. 

“Don’t fight in Lan Wangji’s house!” Jiang Cheng yelled at him, though in a volume that itself was inappropriate for a Lan household. 

Suddenly there was a rather loud THUNK as a long arm placed a dish of food right between Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen. Wangji, owner of the arm, stared down at Jiang Cheng for a moment, again saying nothing. He turned and went back to the kitchen. Jiang Cheng was left gazing with a pallid face at the dish in front of him. Peili quickly changed the subject and asked Wei Wuxian what he thought of Wangji’s music theory course, which got them into quite a deep discussion, during which time Jiang Cheng was happy to listen passively.

When Wangji finished the last of the food and sat down to join them, they all grew quiet again. Wangji prepared plates for Peili and Wei Wuxian. He made no move to do so for Jiang Cheng. Fortunately Peili saw this coming and prepared one while Wangji was doing Wei Wuxian’s, hoping Jiang Cheng wouldn’t notice the fact. 

When they all had food before them, Jiang Cheng cleared his throat. “I…had no idea you were such a skilled cook, Lan-lao-“

“No talking during meals.”

Although Wei Wuxian smiled curiously at Wangji at the sudden harshness of his tone, the other two froze. Peili obediently picked up her chopsticks and began to eat silently, nodding slightly to Jiang Cheng to encourage him to do the same. He dejectedly turned his attention to the food. 

At one point, Wei Wuxian broke the silence by giggling, and poked Lan Wangji with his elbow. “I just realized you made all dishes that Jiang Cheng hates. You’re so devious, Lan Zhan!”

With a much kinder tone than he had used just moments earlier, Lan Wangji rested a hand on top of Wei Wuxian’s head with affection and said, “No talking.”

“Sneaky,” Wei Wuxian complimented him again, for that was clearly what it was. But he too finished his meal in relative silence. Minus a few broad grins and giggles aimed at Jiang Cheng.

The Lan siblings both started to gather dishes, but Wangji placed a hand on Peili’s shoulder to stop her. “Don’t ruin your dress.”

She gazed up at him with a grateful smile, allowing him to take the plates from her hand. 

Jiang Cheng swallowed, looking hard at the table in front of him, but managed to say loudly, “I’ll help.”

Lan Wangji glanced at him, staring in silence and without a change in expression. When the silence had started to become oppressive, he merely said, “Guests should not enter the kitchen,” and left.

Jiang Cheng’s upper body crumpled to the table like a deflated balloon. With his voice muffled against the tablecloth, he mumbled, “He hates me.”

Wei Wuxian was nodding interestedly, but Peili quickly rubbed his shoulder to comfort him and said, “Of course he doesn’t hate you. He’s just…guarded.”

“It’s funny. I always thought he liked Jiang Cheng better than me, until we started dating,” Wei Wuxian commented idly. “But Peili-jiejie, you always seem to know what he’s thinking. How does he really feel about Jiang Cheng?”

Peili paused nervously. The answer which occurred immediately was not suitable to be said out loud. She would have to say something reassuring to Jiang Cheng without giving him a false impression. “Well…it’s true his opinion may have changed when he realized our relationship just now,” she said, very quietly to avoid Wangji overhearing, even above the sound of dishwashing in the kitchen. “But I’m sure this is just his way of expressing concern over-“

“Xiong-zhang,” came Wangji’s voice from the kitchen. 

Peili jumped. She cautiously turned to answer him, “…yes?”

He appeared from around the corner, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Does your guest need transport home?”

“I…was hoping he could stay here tonight, but-“

“Not enough beds,” Wangji said flatly.

Peili sighed. “…in that case,” she said softly, glancing cautiously toward Jiang Cheng’s hand on the table. She lightly pressed her fingertips to his and shared an affectionate glance with him. “…perhaps we’ll bid you good night.”

A furrow formed between Wangji’s brows. “Then where will you stay?”

“Perhaps at a hotel,” Peili murmured with a flush, keeping her face turned away from him.

“Why would-“

Wei Wuxian jumped up and laughed awkwardly, trying to push Wangji back into the kitchen. “Lan Zhan, that’s enough meddling. Jiang Cheng gets the message. He’s plenty afraid of you. Have fun you two! Go on, Lan Zhan, I’ll help with the dishes.”

Though Wei Wuxian’s actual physical force did little to move Wangji’s muscular body, he was easily pressured by his boyfriend to back down. He did object quietly, “Wei Ying, you’ve already broken so many plates…”

“So have you, hypocrite! Go on, shoo!” he whispered to the other two with a delighted wink as he and Wangji disappeared into the kitchen. 

Peili and Jiang Cheng exchanged a glance, Peili smiling warmly and Jiang Cheng still blushing from the earlier mention of hotels. He nodded and grasped her hand. They both rose and quietly went off together, leaving the sounds of washing dishes and affectionate fighting behind them. 

After deciding that Jiang Cheng’s family was likely to be home at this hour, the two did decide to go to a hotel. But when they arrived, while Peili took a seat on the bed, Jiang Cheng seemed too nervous to sit down, looking out and pretending to be interested by the view. Peili felt a sudden tightening of her chest as she wondered whether Jiang Cheng might be afraid to do anything more than kissing. She swallowed that fear for the sake of this kind and beautiful person before her.

“Wanyin,” said Xichen softly. 

“Hm?”

He smiled graciously. “Thank you for coming here with me. And for greeting Wangji. And…so very much for this,” he added, running the soft fabric of the dress through his fingers. He hoped his smile wasn’t sad as he looked back up at Jiang Cheng and said warmly, “If you don’t want to do anything more than we’ve already done, I’m perfectly happy. You don’t need to force yourself.”

Though Jiang Cheng had looked bashful only seconds before, at this last addition, his face slowly clouded over. He looked defeated. With a heavy sigh, he shook his head in self-deprecation. 

“My big damn mouth,” Jiang Cheng muttered as if cursing.

Xichen looked up curiously at this utterance. “I’m sorry?”

“…I don’t know how to describe to you how ridiculous it is that you could think I’m not attracted to you,” Jiang Cheng grumbled. “But I will say that the reason I said those things that night is partly because…” He clenched his jaw and his fists and finally managed to half-shout, “…I thought I might…! Ugh. If…if you kept touching me I thought I might…get…hard.”

“Oh,” Xichen said with surprise, trying to conceal a happy smile. “I see. But…that was also when I was Peili, wasn’t it? I can understand if you would feel differently about me…when I…ehem. Don’t have clothes.”

Jiang Cheng watched Xichen curiously, and Xichen hoped he saw rising desire there. “…I don’t think I’m the only person who thinks people are generally more attractive when they take their clothes off.”

Xichen couldn’t help laughing, and fortunately this momentary relief in the tension gave him the courage to say the hard thing. “Yes, but…Wanyin, aren’t you only attracted to women?”

“First of all, that’s what you are most of the time. As you said yourself. Clothes or no,” Jiang Cheng said, slowly approaching and coming to sit beside him on the bed. “Second…” He swallowed hard and momentarily clenched his jaw as if building up to say something difficult. “No,” he said under his breath. “Not only to women.”

“Oh…is that so?” Xichen managed softly, feeling his heartbeat start to rise. 

“And you?” Jiang Cheng asked hesitantly. 

“Mm? What about me?”

“Are you…into men?” Jiang Cheng asked. “Actually I don’t care one way or the other. It’s just whether or not you’re into me. That’s what matters.”

Xichen cautiously lifted his hand. Making sure Jiang Cheng saw what he was doing and didn’t object, he struggled to work past the pain of the last time he had tried this, and covered Jiang Cheng’s hand with his own, on his knee. 

“Since you were my first love,” Xichen said softly. “If I were not attracted to you, I don’t think I would be to anyone.”

“So…you are?” Jiang Cheng still sought to confirm.

Xichen smiled at him and nodded. “This dress…” he murmured. “…it’s actually much easier to get out of it with help.”

While still seated, he turned his back to Jiang Cheng, reached his hand back behind his neck, and pulled his hair up over his shoulder to reveal his nape, and the top of the zipper of the dress. He actually heard Jiang Cheng swallow. After a few heavy breaths, Jiang Cheng raised his fingers to the top of the zip.

Xichen already felt warmth rise up through his body, and his mind became dulled at the light touch of Jiang Cheng’s fingertips at the top of his back. The zipper began to slide down. All the way, he felt the knuckle of Jiang Cheng’s right hand gliding down his back. After a momentary pause, Jiang Cheng parted the two halves of the garment. Then he slipped both hands inside and spread them sensuously over Xichen’s back. 

Xichen shuddered, instinctively closing his knees together, and a small noise escaped him. Jiang Cheng seemed to wait a moment to make sure this was a good noise. Then, just as Xichen closed his eyes in blissful anticipation of how Jiang Cheng might undress him, he felt hot breath against the back of his neck. A warm kiss. 

“Ah…!” Xichen cried softly, unable to stifle his voice.

Against his skin, Jiang Cheng whispered, “Xichen…”

Instinctively, Xichen leaned his head to one side, while Jiang Cheng caressed his shoulders and pushed the dress down his body. Jiang Cheng took advantage of Xichen’s exposed neck to continue kissing and lightly biting his skin. 

When his upper body was mostly bare, his arms pinned to his sides, Jiang Cheng helped Xichen lay down on his back. He admired Xichen’s partly exposed body before sliding his hands down Xichen’s ribs, then subsequently his hips and even all the way down his legs to carefully but completely remove the dress from his body. He flipped the item over the back of a chair and once again admired his lover’s body, now clad only in his underwear, shoes, and makeup. 

Jiang Cheng curved his hand around Xichen’s ankle, causing him to shiver in both excitement and trepidation. Though unfamiliar with the type of shoe, he took his time unbuckling the pretty sandal and slipped it from Xichen’s foot. He was a little quicker with the second one, and after taking a moment to place a tantalizing kiss on Xichen’s ankle, he set both shoes down beside the bed. 

While Xichen watched with baited breath from the bed, Jiang Cheng crossed his arms and pulled his shirt off over his head. Xichen nervously shifted his hips in embarrassment at his body’s reaction to this. While he and Wangji both had rather wiry builds, with barely a scrap of fat but also compact and subtle muscles, Jiang Cheng both had noticeable muscle as well as places of fat, which gave an overall impression of both a warrior and a lover. The sight of Jiang Cheng’s body made Xichen feel hungry for something he had never consciously desired before. 

Jiang Cheng got undressed completely, and Xichen removed his own underwear, before climbing into bed beside him. Jiang Cheng remained propped up on one elbow for a moment, looking down at Xichen with wonder and something that resembled regret. 

Reaching over to run the backs of his fingers down Xichen’s cheek, he murmured, “I’m the one who should have been worried. You’re much more beautiful than I imagined. My eyes may go blind in protest if I have to look at anything else.”

Xichen’s eyes stung, hardly believing he could be any happier than he was at this moment, and managed a soft smile. He took Jiang Cheng’s hand and held it against his cheek covetously. While his eyes were closed, Jiang Cheng seemed unable to wait any longer and kissed him deeply. Xichen wrapped his arms around Jiang Cheng’s neck and pulled him close, encouraging more and more kisses from him. 

When they parted, Xichen haltingly managed to explain that they would need lube and he would need to be loosened up. He expected Jiang Cheng to be embarrassed by this talk, but ever since he started undressing Xichen, he seemed to have gained a confidence and manliness that reminded Xichen of when they were children. He only nodded and followed Xichen’s directions, finding the lube provided by the hotel and then lying his body down beside Xichen once again. 

“You haven’t done this before either? Even by yourself?” he asked softly. 

Xichen shook his head, clinging to Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “I only know from the other girls talking. Apparently it may hurt quite a bit.”

Jiang Cheng looked troubled. “Is it worth doing? We could do other things…”

Xichen smiled, coaxing a kiss from him. “I’ve never felt desire like this before. I want to feel connected. Is it all right?”

With a reluctant sigh, Jiang Cheng said, “If it hurts too much, we’re going to stop, ok?”

Xichen nodded and kissed him again, finding it indeed very difficult to stop touching him when he was so close. As he felt Jiang Cheng’s hand sliding down between his legs, he gasped slightly against his lips but didn’t pull away from him. Jiang Cheng likewise seemed to be concentrating, but his eyes were fixed on Xichen’s face. 

“Nh…” Xichen moaned softly at the realization that it didn’t seem to matter where, Jiang Cheng’s touch felt warm and even seemed to tingle slightly wherever it alighted. 

He clung to him and even let their lips brush softly as Jiang Cheng’s fingers slowly massaged his entrance. He quickly became embarrassed by how good it felt. Though he tried to control his voice, this only had the effect of making him yet more desperate. As Jiang Cheng’s lips again captured his own and pressed him down into the pillows, his finger slipped inside.

“Mmm!” Xichen cried in an unintended, high-pitched moan. 

Jiang Cheng quickly drew away. “Are you all right?” he asked breathlessly.

Xichen didn’t know how to answer, his hips shifting impatiently on their own as he felt his own cock twitching and dripping precum onto his stomach. Though there was some discomfort, overwhelmingly he felt only greater desire. He relaxed his head against Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. 

“It’s…good…” he whispered in spite of his embarrassment.

Jiang Cheng seemed moved as he watched him. He leaned down and sweetly kissed him as he slowly began to move his finger inside him. It seemed to take an achingly long time to get him ready, although the process was equally pleasant as it was embarrassing and frustrating. But by the time Jiang Cheng was able to move three fingers inside him, Xichen was struggling to keep from cumming, and completely unable to control his voice.

“Wanyin,” he said pleadingly at one point, pulling Jiang Cheng closer. “Enough…please…”

Jiang Cheng watched him lovingly for several moments before he responded. “What position would be most comfortable for you? From behind?”

Xichen shook his head. “I want to see you…”

Jiang Cheng sighed heavily and rested his head against Xichen’s shoulder for a moment. “Please try not to be any more adorable than you already are, Xichen. It’s agony.”

Xichen only chuckled and kissed him again. 

As Xichen pulled up his knees and parted his legs with a hint of trepidation, Jiang Cheng crawled between them and held himself over Xichen by his arms, looking down at him once more in wonder. He seemed to want to say something, but words would not come to him. Instead he folded his arms and rested his body against Xichen’s, indulging in more sweet kisses with him while the most sensitive parts of their bodies were pressed together. Xichen trembled and held him tightly, already filled with love for him so much that it was almost painful.

While their lips still rested lightly against one another, Jiang Cheng guided his cock against Xichen’s entrance and pressed lightly. Xichen’s fingers curled against his shoulders in anticipation. Despite a momentary sense of anxiety, as soon as he began to slide inside, pleasant sensations washed over Xichen’s whole body. He let out a soft moan. He caught a moan from Jiang Cheng too against his lips. And then when their bodies were finally completely as one, both men arched back with a cry. 

But Xichen forced himself to look up because Jiang Cheng’s pleasure from being inside him was visible. 

“Xichen…” Jiang Cheng whispered. 

Xichen gasped softly in response and begged kisses from him. As he did, Jiang Cheng’s hips began to move, seemingly involuntarily. But because he had been so conscientious in the preparation, Xichen’s discomfort at the foreign entry faded in moments. They both quickly became a slave to the sensations rolling through their bodies, now and then managing to kiss but also driven to further ecstasy by the moans shared between them. 

“Ah…ah! Xichen…” Jiang Cheng gasped. “I’m sorry…I can’t…I’m going to…”

“Yes,” Xichen whispered, weaving his fingers in his hair and grasping tightly with desperation. “Me too…Wanyin…it’s so good…kiss me…”

Jiang Cheng immediately kissed him deeply, even as he grasped Xichen’s thigh so hard he nearly bruised the pale flesh. While Xichen whimpered against his mouth, he thrust inside him again and again as his orgasm built, and finally crashed over both of them almost simultaneously. 

Jiang Cheng further made things harder for Xichen by maintaining his kiss and slowly rolling his hips against him as he shot his hot cum inside him. Xichen moaned repeatedly against his lips over this process which seemed to take minutes on end, all the while robbing him of his presence of mind so deeply that he didn’t notice leaving scratch marks in Jiang Cheng’s back. He only felt some relief when, finally, Jiang Cheng slowly dragged his cock from him and allowed the hot liquid to flow from his hole. 

Even though he wasn’t entirely satisfied by so brief a time with Jiang Cheng inside him, the sky outside was dark by now and Xichen was mentally and physically exhausted. When Jiang Cheng slid back beside him, he curled up against his chest as if to go to sleep. 

Jiang Cheng chuckled a little, stroking his hair. “I want to let you sleep, but didn’t you say it’s better to wash immediately after?”

Xichen pretended not to hear him, snuggling contentedly against his chest. Jiang Cheng let out another soft chuckle, running his hands through Xichen’s hair and stroking his shoulder. 

“You stay here then, I’ll just get a wet towel-“

“Mh,” Xichen complained, gasping onto him and making it almost impossible for him to move at all. 

Jiang Cheng made a frustrated noise but almost immediately held Xichen tightly in return. He let out a hard breath. “Okay. Well my heart survived that but I don’t know about the next one. Please be just a tiny bit less cute, Xichen, I’m begging you.” 

He sighed again, but in the end he reached for a box of tissues on the night stand, which he was just able to reach inside Xichen’s unbreakable bear hug. “Just be good now for a moment and let me do this, or the guilt will kill me sooner than your cuteness.”

Xichen twitched with slight discomfort as even a gentle touch of dry tissue against his sensitive hole was somewhat uncomfortable. But soon the sore areas were dry and he did feel a little better. When Jiang Cheng finally relaxed beside him, Xichen felt himself starting to cry with happiness, though he hoped the other didn’t notice. 

“I love you,” he whispered against his chest.

He heard Jiang Cheng take in a sharp breath. He didn’t move for a few moments, and then he pulled Xichen more tightly against him. His voice, when it finally came, cracked slightly with emotion. “Well…I don’t love you any less for that.”

Xichen was already growing sleepy so it was hard for him to understand Jiang Cheng’s meaning, but part of him resolved to make sure Jiang Cheng knew how worthy of love he was, as he had done for both Xichen and Peili. As he drifted off, he felt a kiss against his hair.

“Since technically I fell first, I’ll take responsibility for you…for as long as you live. I love you, Lan Xichen. Lan Peili.”

With one last tear and a blissful smile, Xichen fell asleep in Jiang Cheng’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


	23. Lotus and Peony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin Zixuan has several shocks and behaves badly toward Jiang Yanli, but soon regrets his actions and seeks to do anything he can to restore her feelings for him.

Jiang Yanli’s eyelashes trembled over her rosy cheeks as she shied away from Jin Zixuan, even as he considered his own shock to be much more justified. 

Just moments before, he had been trying to help her from her palanquin. Her frail form had briefly slipped from his arms as she misplaced a step, and as he caught her, he had inadvertently slid his leg between hers. This would have been a bad enough faux pas on his part, but as she fell into his arms, there was a particular feature of her body which was unmistakable. 

“You…” he hissed, staring at her in distressed shock.

Yanli pulled away from him as best she could, but he was unconsciously grasping her arms to steady her, and even his casual grip was far too strong for her to break. “Master Jin…please…” she whispered, seeming as if she might cry.

He instantly released her and she was gone in a flurry of silk, toward her room in Carp Tower, where she had been staying with them since her home was destroyed. Zixuan was left dumbfounded by an impression he could almost still feel against his thigh. The impression of a body part that he himself had, but a woman like Jiang Yanli should never have. How could this be?

He had been plenty put off by the prospect of marriage with the Jiang family to begin with. Although Yanli herself was mostly tolerable, those two brothers of hers had teased him to no end when they were young. And though his sense of gentlemanly behavior prevented him from admitting this out loud, he felt someone so plain and with so little cultivation was not quite worthy of him. 

But this was beyond the pale. Had the Jiang family had three sons all along? How dare they try to make him wed one of them?! And yet…she was so very delicate. Despite this affront to his reputation, as he perceived it, it only took him a moment to decide that, whatever the shape of her body, Jiang Yanli was a woman. It still didn’t make her a suitable bride for him, and didn’t change how shocked and offended he was. 

Then, during the Sunshot Campaign, heaping insult upon insult, he caught her trying to take the credit for a servant of his who had been secretly bringing him hand-prepared soup. Or so he thought.

“…that you would think anything could improve my opinion of you shows arrogance beyond belief,” he muttered, though immediately regretted the harshness of his words, whether or not they were true. “But to take the credit for someone else’s good will, and to think I wouldn’t notice or care because the other person is a servant…even if you have no respect for me, you should have more for yourself than to stoop to such unscrupulous tactics.”

Yanli seemed frozen. Slowly, her hands holding the soup began to tremble. He felt guilty for being so harsh with her, when he knew she had all the force of will of a twig, but he told himself she had to know that she had done wrong. 

But as tears began to run down her face, as she cried silently and seemingly helplessly, his regret grew. He probably could have said it in a less hurtful way, he thought with a twist of guilt in his stomach. And even if she had wronged his servant, the reason had been relatively benign. She only wanted attention she had no other way of getting, after all. In fact it was rather cute, in a way. 

He had just opened his mouth in order to say something to soften the blow, but at that moment Wei Wuxian burst in an all hell broke loose. The outcome of that particular interaction, one of the most humiliating in Jin Zixuan’s life, was a bruised cheek and an even more deeply wounded ego. Being that wrong about a person never felt good, but to lecture them about morals only to find that one’s own behavior was unforgivably boorish, felt lower than low.

From that time, he could not help feeling a kaleidoscope of emotions whenever Jiang Yanli was nearby. His guilt almost immediately gave way to an array of pleasant feelings, thinking about how humbly she had tried to be kind to him without his knowledge. And even though he wasn’t proud of this, the beauty and innocence of her crying face had struck him deeply and become a source for affection blossoming in his heart. He quite frankly forgot about that one physical idiosyncrasy of hers. But the tone of their interactions up until now, and his own upbringing, made it incredibly difficult for him to change how he approached her.

The night hunt on Baifeng Mountain only increased his despair at the prospect of having a pleasant relationship with her. Albeit her obnoxious brother had once again got in the way, things had not been going well before that. But perhaps, he thought, if their engagement were restored, he would at least have a chance of winning back her affections. He asked his father to speak to Jiang Wanyin on his behalf, as he perceived this brother to be the more understanding of the two.

Though Wei Wuxian once again got in the way on that occasion, Zixuan’s heart sank as Yanli herself also refused. Had she still not forgiven him for that misunderstanding? Was it truly impossible?

Jin Zixuan had never tried to win anyone’s affections before. He would be the first to admit, clumsy would be quite a generous description of his efforts. But when he gave up on trying to convince her with words and instead filled the carp ponds outside her quarters with lotus flowers, finally the clouds of her expression seemed to part. 

“Master Jin…”

He gasped and whirled around, having wanted to be finished before she woke. But there she stood in an elegant gown of white and blue, with a bodice given to her by Madam Jin and of the Jin style. Each time he saw her face he grew more enamored of it, especially because lately glimpses of her eyes were so rare, as she seemed to be constantly avoiding his gaze. 

He halfheartedly hid a lotus stalk behind his back, though being up to his knees in muddy water left little wonder as to what he was doing. He flushed and looked down. 

“…Lady Jiang, good morning,” he muttered.

Yanli looked over the pond behind him that was already filled with lotuses. His heart was stricken by the moved expression with which she looked on the flowers. Her gaze passed back to him curiously. But perhaps she felt it would be rude to ask what he was doing. 

“I was on my way to meet your mother,” she explained softly. 

Zixuan nodded, knowing how his mother doted on her, even without him asking her to do so. This was yet another reason he felt pressure to fix things with her; his mother was notoriously difficult to please and hardly had a kind word to say about any of the noble ladies of Zixuan’s generation. But for Yanli’s sake she even casually insulted her own nephew.

Gradually her gaze lowered again and he felt as if the sun were being hidden by clouds. “Well then…excuse me. I won’t disturb you.”

“Lady Jiang!” he called after her worriedly as she started to leave. 

She did stop, but didn’t turn back toward him. He couldn’t help feeling a soft ache in his chest about how demure and graceful she appeared, even when she was trying to avoid him. 

“I thought…having something of home might brighten your spirits,” he mumbled, idly toying with the lotus stalk in his hands. “Are…they not good?”

At this, she turned back with a look of surprise. She glanced from the lotuses to Zixuan, and he noted with an ache in his chest the difference in her expression as she looked on each. She did not look happy when she looked at him. 

“This…is not necessary…” she murmured. And then breaking his heart, when her eyes turned down this time there was an outline of red tinging at their edges. “I don’t know what your mother has been telling you, but I’m not upset about the engagement. Please don’t feel any obligation.”

“It’s not obligation,” Zixuan said softly, though his chest hurt so badly it was hard to speak. “It was difficult for me to see you sad. I thought you must miss your home. That’s all.”

“Oh,” Yanli murmured, seeming surprised. “But…even so, I wish you would not…” She sniffed and turned away, hiding her face in her sleeve. “Please forgive my rudeness, Master Jin. I wish you would ignore my presence here. I promise, I won’t try to approach you again. I will tell your mother not to pressure you anymore as well.”

Zixuan’s own eyes began to sting. So that was it, then. From the start, she had been too perfect. Too innocent and devoted in her affections to be able to withstand Zixuan’s bad personality. The one person for whom he had finally felt something deep enough to warrant self-reflection was too hurt by him to even look at his face. He let the lotus stalk lower slowly to his side.

He was not surprised when he looked up again and saw her already gone, not even a flick of her gossamer gown to mark her absence. With a heavy sadness that seemed to pull him down, he sank to a seated position on the bank of the pond. The lotus he was holding fell bloom-first into the muddy water and he did not reach to pick it up. 

…

That night, at dinner with his family, he drank steadily, despite having no appetite and hardly touching his food. He knew Jiang Yanli was present as well, but he didn’t look up from the floor once. His family talked idle gossip as usual, barely even noticing he was in an ill mood. 

“…and once again, those Lan brothers topped the list,” his mother was loudly complaining. “Honestly, they are only ranked so high because of their wealth. And they’re only so wealthy because they live like monks! The women who vote for them are not considering what life would really be like living with them.”

Jin Guangshan laughed appreciatively at this, given that he did, after all, share many values with his wife. Zixuan could have imagined it, but he thought he saw momentary displeasure flash in the eyes of his newly acknowledged half-brother, currently seated behind Jin Zixun and across from him. But whatever his opinion about the Lan brothers or rankings of eligible bachelors, Jin Guangyao kept it to himself with a demure sip of his tea.

“You’re exactly right, Aunt,” said Zixun loudly, also several drinks in this evening. “Of course Zewu-jun is admirable for many reasons, but one so devout and restrained could hardly hope to please a wife. And his little brother is out of the question. Far too frightening.”

Though still laughing, Jin Guangshan added, “You best be careful, Zixun. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but servants have ears too, you know.”

Zixuan raised a bitter eyebrow at his father. While his meaning was ambiguous, given how close they were, he got the distinct impression he was referring to Jin Guangyao’s relationship to Lan Xichen. Which meant he was referring to his own son, in public, as a servant. That was one of the many things Zixuan wished he could change about his father, but he knew it was impossible.

But Zixun only laughed too. “Do you really disagree though, Uncle?”

Guangshan tilted his head to acknowledge the sentiment. “I’m not sure. But it’s an interesting thought. If I were a young lady…if I were a young lady…you know, our guest’s little brother, that young Jiang Wanyin isn’t bad. Where does he rank?”

Madam Jin let out a high laugh as if she had a secret, but quickly glanced at Yanli and composed herself. “Fifth,” she said simply. “Yes, I agree. A fine man. Good upbringing and a fine appearance. Underrated.”

“What was the laugh for?” Guangshan asked her.

She shook her head and whispered, “Amusing rumors. I’ll tell you later.”

“Jiang Wanyin is fine, it’s his association that is the problem,” Zixun remarked bitterly. “That he should defend the mongrel Wei Wuxian through every mistake reflects badly on not just him, but everyone who associates with him.”

Zixuan’s ire rose at this seemingly purposefully vindictive comment. Though he still hadn’t looked in her direction, he knew Yanli would be seated to his left, meaning Zixun should be practically looking straight at her as he said that. 

With the drink in him, Zixuan's thoughts emerged from his mouth without a filter. “Whatever Jiang Wanyin’s faults, they cannot be as unattractive as jealousy, Zixun.”

While Zixun visibly choked back rage, his other family members turned shocked gazes on him, though in the case of his father there was definitely still amusement. Stifling a chuckle behind his sleeve, Guangshan cleared his throat and said pacifyingly, “Now, now. Of course our Zixuan is without peer in our hearts, that hardly needs saying. But there’s no need to imagine the perspective of a young lady, as we have one here. What do you say of the rankings, Lady Jiang? Do they hold up to your scrutiny?”

Though he clearly said it in a joking manner, Zixuan felt sick as he was certain this was one of his father’s purposeful attempts to elicit compliments for his own son. 

Yanli, however, merely replied quietly, “I…don’t think I have a right to judge.”

“If not you, then I wonder who does!” said Guangshan, still apparently with the cadence of a joke. “Come now, you’re a young, beautiful lady from a fine family. We won’t tell. Can’t you tell us at least who ranks first in your heart?”

Zixuan wanted to drown himself in his drink. This was not only humiliating, but he deeply pitied Jiang Yanli for being put on the spot this way. After all, his father would keep hounding her until she gave an answer, and if it were any other answer but Jin Zixuan, it would seem rude. 

Eventually, she said softly, “Of course, I agree. Few can compete with Master Jin.”

Zixuan felt cold inside. Even though this was probably the most diplomatic answer, even when she had no choice but to answer his name, somehow he was still not singled out.

“Yes, I thought as much,” Guangshan said cheerfully, clearly taking more encouragement from this response than the man in question did. “So how do you find my wife’s opinion, that Zewu-jun’s looks and wealth don’t match Zixuan’s qualities as a husband?”

“Father,” Zixuan barked angrily. 

Madam Jin laughed awkwardly. “Dear, the poor girl must be embarrassed,” she said softly to her husband.

“It’s not a proposal, it’s just an opinion,” Guangshan insisted nevertheless. “Don’t be shy, Lady Jiang. Zixuan won’t be offended if you don’t like him. He already thinks himself outstripping Zewu-jun in looks! Ha ha ha.”

“Father!” Zixuan hissed.

But then a silence fell. Zixuan looked at each of the faces of his family in turn before he followed their gazes and realized why. Jiang Yanli was trembling, her fingers tightly grasping her gown at her knees, as tears dropped one after the other onto the fabric. 

“Forgive me,” she whispered, and then ran outside. 

“Lady Jiang!” Zixuan ran after her without a thought. 

It was not hard to catch up to her, as she had neither speed nor endurance, and he soon found her curled up and sobbing while leaning on the railing of a bridge. Because of the drink in him, he gave in to his desire to comfort her and wrapped her in his arms. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as she continued to sob softly against his shoulder. “I’m sorry for my family. And…you don’t need to spare my feelings. I understand…you can’t love me anymore.”

Yanli sobbed but then took a few stabilizing breaths, pulling away from him. “I…can’t…?” she asked in slight confusion.

Zixuan kept his grasp on her slender arms, but lowered his head in shame, telling himself this wasn’t about him. He just needed to comfort her. “You…fell out of love when I wrongly accused you,” he whispered. Though he had thought them many times, the words were unexpectedly painful when spoken aloud. “And…have been repulsed by me and my entire family since then. I’m sorry. I just want to look after you. I don’t want you to cry anymore.”

Jiang Yanli sobbed again and lowered her gaze as well. In barely more than a whisper, she said, “…out of love? No.” She shook her head, covering her face in her hand in despair. “I’m sorry, Master Jin, I tried…but it’s difficult when you’re so kind to me. Please…please leave me…”

“You tried…what do you mean?” Zixuan asked in wonder, hope filling his chest in spite of himself.

Yanli sniffed pitifully, wiping her eyes again and again with shaking hands in adorable gestures of her purest feelings. “It was so abhorrent to you…when I…made you food…even after you found out about my…body…” She hid her face in her sleeves as she sobbed even louder, shaking badly in Zixuan’s arms. “I felt so guilty that…I couldn’t stop loving you, even so…even though I know it disgusts you…I’m sorry!”

Zixuan couldn’t bear to hear another word. He snatched her up in his arms and held her as tightly as he could without hurting her. Her shaking slowly subsided. She still sobbed, but she seemed somewhat comforted to be held.

“Please don’t say such foolish things again,” he whispered, weaving his fingers into her hair and grasping it covetously. “When you were so kind and humble, to do something so sweet for me even while expecting nothing in return, even though I was so cruel to you…that was the moment I first began to love you.”

Her sobbing stopped, but her body became tense. She took in several shaking breaths, unable to respond. “…love…?” she whimpered.

Zixuan let out a shaking breath himself and rested his face against her hair. “A-Li,” he whispered. “I love you.”

But after a few moments of silence, she shook her head, trying halfheartedly to pull away from him. “No…this is…a dream…”

He pulled her tight to him again. “It’s not. I’ll do anything you ask to convince you.”

His heart sounded loud even to his own ears as he waited for her response. Eventually he felt a shiver and a thrill through his chest as her small fingers tightened against his back. “Even…” she mumbled, mostly addressing his chest. “…even…looking at my body…?”

Zixuan’s heart felt ready to explode. Though he did feel some trepidation, his body’s immediate response to this suggestion was a rush of heat and desire that made it difficult for him to think clearly. He closed his eyes and breathed in the deeply pleasant scent of her hair. 

“If you would permit me,” he whispered.

Still trembling, Yanli carefully rested her hands over Zixuan’s arms. She slid them down gently until she was holding both his hands. This moment with her felt so tender, he didn’t want it to end. But after a moment of seeming to agonize over what to do, she slowly nodded and kept hold of just one of his hands as they walked together back to her quarters.

When they arrived, she let go of his hand and turned away momentarily, taking in difficult breaths. Seeing that she must be nervous, Zixuan tried to think of what might make her feel more comfortable. 

“Shall I go first then?” he asked gently.

In shock, Yanli whirled around with an adorable hue of red over her cheeks, visible even in the subtle moonlight creeping into her room at this hour. Though she did not answer, she brought a finger to her lips anxiously and seemed unable to look away. 

Zixuan too felt nervous showing his body to the woman he loved. He knew he was widely considered handsome, but could have no way of predicting whether he fit her preferences. With this thought, he realized how many times more difficult this must be for her. He calmly unwrapped his belt, shrugged off his outer robe, and then inner tunic. Before he removed his trousers, he looked up at her.

“How is it so far?” he asked, now that she could see his upper body.

Slightly tearfully, still hiding part of her face behind her hand, she murmured, “Beautiful.”

He smiled in relief. Reassured by this, he finally removed his trousers so he stood naked before her. “…you can come and see from closer if you like,” he said.

She started to take a step forward but hesitated. Sadly she murmured, “No…you should see me first.”

He could see her hands shaking even from a distance. And though he felt guilty for it, he couldn’t help but be charmed by the embarrassment and anxiety of her expression. It made him realize how much she loved him, and it made his chest ache.

She pulled out the cord which kept her bodice tight. She slipped the garment down, stepping out of it and setting it aside. She was wearing two layers of light dresses underneath it. She pulled them both down from her shoulders, briefly hesitating while holding the loose garments over her chest. Finally she dropped them in a puddle of silk on the floor.

Zixuan felt like crying, but not because of anything he saw. She was so very fragile. Yet she had agreed to this for his sake. He was so overwhelmed by this fact that he didn’t even look very closely. 

He stepped up closer, even more relieved when she didn’t back away. He nodded, reaching out to caress her cheek. “I see a beautiful woman. One I badly wish to make my wife. Nothing more.”

Yanli’s eyes fluttered, already trembling with dew drops ready to fall. But as if to break his heart yet further, she took his much larger hand in both of her small ones, very softly kissed it, and held it to her face again.

To his own embarrassment, Zixuan’s own body was already beginning to react from this. “A-Li…if…if you wish to go no further today, I should leave.”

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes a little, gazing at his chest in front of her. “Zixuan,” she whispered, setting his heart rate climbing again, as he wasn’t sure he’d ever heard her call him by his courtesy name before. “If I said I wanted to make sure…would you be disappointed in me?”

“Make sure?” he repeated in confusion. 

She nodded, still holding his hand to her cheek. “That…you would be happy with me.”

Zixuan swallowed as he started to catch her meaning. His face began to feel hot, as well as particular places on his body. For a healthy young man, this was already more temptation than he could bear. 

“To be honest…I would be ecstatic.” She let out a soft, relieved laugh, which was like music to his ears. Realizing there was something he was still not sure about, he hesitantly asked her, “By the way, A-Li…I believe I would be fine with either, but…could you tell me, if you know, do you prefer to make love as one who…gives or receives?”

After a few harsh breaths, with an adorable redness to her cheeks, she cautiously murmured, “I do not know. But I think…I would prefer to give.”

Zixuan had honestly not expected that and so it took him a moment to calibrate. Perhaps she wasn’t sure what he meant? But as he looked down between their bodies, in addition to the tantalizingly petite and beautiful breasts directly beneath his gaze, he could see the part of her body that he had been anxious about to begin with, standing up as if to remind him of its’ presence. 

He swallowed, carefully managing a nod. “I see.”

“…but if it’s too much-“

“No,” he said hurriedly, fearful that she would start to lose her confidence again. He gathered his nerves and said, “I…want to try.”

From the look of relief and joy that bloomed over her face, despite his continued anxiety, he felt he’d made the right decision. He actually knew a little bit of the mechanics of male-male sex from Jin Guangyao, so he knew that some preparation was necessary. However it was extremely embarrassing having to talk this over with Yanli, though she seemed remarkably calm and understanding. 

After they found some oil, at first Jin Zixuan tried himself to massage and carefully open his entrance. But he started to get nervous at the unusual sensations, so Yanli offered to try instead. He was extremely apprehensive about having her delicate fingers in such a place, and strangely felt she might judge him for some reason. But it seemed a little less daunting to have her do it, so he reluctantly agreed. 

He leaned down over her bed as she stood beside and slightly behind him. He could hear her tiny voice breathing harshly beside him. She seemed enthralled by his appearance. He cautiously turned to look up at her, and found her leaning down, reaching out to stroke his face. He closed his eyes appreciatively at the touch of her small, soft hand on his cheek.

“Zixuan,” she whispered. “May I kiss you?”

He was stunned at himself for not asking earlier. He nodded. Electricity ran up his spine as she pressed a butterfly-soft kiss to his lips. By the end, he even felt a little faint. To his own shock, her touch was making the area he’d just been massaging feel pleasantly warm and almost needy. As she reluctantly drew away from the kiss, he found his hips shifting up instinctively to meet her soft fingers. 

“Ah!” he cried out inadvertently as one of her fingers slipped inside him.

“Did it hurt?” she asked worriedly. 

He shook his head, even as he stared at the bed in confusion. How could he admit that the spot her small finger was currently pressed against was somehow even more sensitive than the part of him that was currently twitching impatiently before his own eyes? He leaned down against the bed for something to muffle his voice as she continued cautiously exploring his body. 

But things only grew worse for him as he got used to the new sensations, and his body began yearning for yet more stimulation of that spot inside him. He barely realized himself as his hips began twitching and bucking as her fingers stroked him. Soon, he was having to bite down on the blankets in order to hold back the urge to cum. 

“Um…I think it’s loose enough,” came Yanli’s sweet voice, cautiously. “Is…is it all right?”

Jin Zixuan experienced a moment of terror of what might happen to him if he felt the woman he loved inside him right now. But in the end, both love and desire overcame his fear. Though unable to look her in the eye, he quickly nodded. 

Fortunately for him, Yanli’s penis was comparatively small. But while this meant less discomfort, as soon as she was fully inside, he was assaulted by pleasure that seemed to have no end. Terrified, he bit down into his own knuckle to hold back his voice. 

Yanli was breathing heavily above him. He dainty hands were steadying her, spread out on his back. Even this small touch filled him with pleasure and caused him to bite down harder into his hand to stop from reaching his orgasm immediately. 

“Zixuan…” she gasped softly. “Are you…all right?”

He hurriedly nodded into the bed, not wanting to delay any longer in case he stopped being able to hold back his voice. Surely she would think him less of a man if he let out these shameful moans trying to leak out of him. He curled his fingers into the blankets and tried to think of other things as, slowly, she began to move inside him.

“Zixuan…” she gasped his name as her pace gradually increased. 

Zixuan couldn’t stop soft whimpers that escaped him anymore. Her voice was equally enthralling as her delicate hands, the soft skin of her hips, or the heat currently brushing against the most sensitive part of his body. He was only grateful he couldn’t see her.

Fortunately, she too let out delightful moans. “Zixuan!” she cried in desperation. But then, as if to torment him, she leaned down over him and held his body in hers, pressing her soft breasts against his back. 

“Ahhh!” he cried out helplessly. 

He tried to bite down on his knuckle again, but then he felt her hands spread across his chest and he cried out once more. “A-Li…A-Li…” he whimpered, feeling that he wanted help somehow but not knowing what kind. 

“Zixuan…!” she gasped against his skin. 

His pleasure became unbearable the more she thrust inside him and moaned against his back. The undignified moans continued to pour out of him, but Yanli seemed to only squeeze him tighter each time they did. Despite his shame at being in such a position, Zixuan felt pleasant warmth flowing through his whole body. He had never felt so cared for. 

“Ngh…ah….ahhh!” he cried out as she struck him one too many times in that spot and his control finally lost out. He arched his back and trembled as his cock let out repeated spurts of cum over her blankets, until his legs were trembling and he could barely stand. 

“Zixuan!” Yanli cried out as he tightened around her. She too twitched and trembled inside him, her thrusting ceased as she came as well. 

He sank against the bed, emotionally drained. Yanli quietly urged him to lay down properly and gave him great comfort by laying down beside him and surrounding him in her small but warm and tender embrace. He lovingly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, resting his head in the hollow of her neck. 

As they lay together, even though she was lovingly stroking his hair and seeming entirely contented, he noticed her penis was still hard. “I want to keep going…but I can barely keep my eyes open,” Zixuan said apologetically.

Her smile was at first a soft and private one, but then grew wider as she looked down toward him and stroked his hair from his face. “If you like, I’ll spend the rest of my life with you so we can have all the time we want.”

Zixuan’s eyes stung, but he smiled too. He pulled her close and kissed her until they both fell into a deep and peaceful sleep. 

And while of course his main objective in marrying her was that he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her, seeing his cousin apoplectic with anger when he found out he would become in-laws with his hated Wei Wuxian was not displeasing either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and suggestions welcome!
> 
> 1: Lan Xichen dreams of his first time with Nie Mingjue  
> 2: Alpha Wei Wuxian x Omega Lan Wangji  
> 3: Ch 2 Con't  
> 4: Alpha Lan Xichen and alpha Jiang Cheng are after the same omega marriage partner, but end up more interested in each other  
> 5: Wangxian wedding, Wei Wuxian's heat, and eventually a pregnant Lan Wangji  
> 6: Beta Meng Yao in love with alpha Lan Xichen  
> 7: Ch 6 happy ending :)  
> 8: Wen Ning's puppy love for Jin Ling  
> 9: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji bodyswap (foursome)  
> 10: Lan Wangji is a warlord conqueror, Wei Wuxian his prize of war  
> 11: Ch 10 Con't  
> 12: Courtesan Meng Yao given as a gift to Emperor Xichen  
> 13: Ch 12 Con't  
> 14: Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in limbo together, then reincarnated  
> 15: Dark Lan Xichen from a mirror universe comes to make trouble for Jiang Cheng  
> 16: Dark Xichen x Wei Wuxian  
> 17: Lan Wangji punishing Wei Wuxian, rewarding Jiang Cheng (foursome)  
> 18: Professor Lan Wangji x student Wei Wuxian  
> 19: Ch 18 con't  
> 20: Wen Ning's Puppy Love (2)  
> 21: Hostess Xichen  
> 22: Jiang Cheng x Lan Peili happy ending  
> 23: Futanari Jiang Yanli x Jin Zixuan


End file.
